


Not Bad For An Amateur

by Ohnonnynonny



Series: MDDAU [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Divorce, Drama, Everybody wants to protect Merlin, F/M, Fanart, Get together fic, Guilt, Kid Fic, M/M, Misunderstandings, POV Third Person, Post-Divorce, Profanity, Protective Merlin, Protective Morgana, Slow Burn, Some pining, a bit cracky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-04-06 17:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 107,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4230144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohnonnynonny/pseuds/Ohnonnynonny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is a divorced dad with three kids. Arthur is a successful businessman and Lothario. They meet and chaos ensues. Chaos and love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic was born through my odd want to read one where Merlin is the divorced one with kids (I've only seen that case happen for Arthur). I know the summary is cheesy as fuck but that was the best I could do for now. This is my first fanfic. Ever. Please be kind :). Keep in mind that I don't even plan most of the things that end up in this story. It just wants to be written, hence the roller coaster of emotions you may go through. The pace of each chapter is different so here's a warning against that. Also, although this is written in third person POV, it does tend to favor a character from time to time and every time it's in favor of a different person, there will be an asterisk. Apologies if it gets confusing!
> 
> Original artwork (more like doodles) done by me and placed inside the fanfic. Sort of Beta'd by my sister, the Queen. All mistakes are my own. Not Brit-picked. I've looked some things up but at that same time I've just made a lot of shit up. Also, I can't make titles for shit.
> 
> This story is authorized for AO3 only. It is not to be copied or used elsewhere without my explicit written permission.
> 
> I don't own the characters to Merlin(TV) and am not profiting from this work. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad first meeting.

It was shaping out to be a great morning for Arthur. He woke up to the smell of coffee and his one night stand was already gone. He hated having those "look, it was just a shag" conversations and more than once he had to call for security when whoever wouldn't leave.

He looked at his nightstand and saw that it was 10 AM. So what if he had slept in a little. It was a Saturday and most people didn't even work on Saturdays. He threw the covers off himself and naked as the day he was born, walked into his kitchen to have a cup of coffee. He thought that Gwen's ability to fix a timer to his espresso machine warranted a raise. Too bad she didn't work for him. He liked Pellinore, but Gwen was an amazing P.A. It really was a shame that he lost her to Morgana. It really shouldn’t have been surprising though. He started losing things to Morgana ever since she came to live with him and his father when she was 10 and he 8. She was the beloved step child and his father made it Arthur's duty to keep her happy.

Speaking of Morgana, he agreed to meet with a friend of hers, Marvin or whomever, who was supposed to be the next up and coming architect in Camelot. Arthur was the CEO of the very successful and renowned Avalon Tech Inc. but he wanted to branch out of his father's "built from the ground-up empire” and establish his own. He had been working on a plan for several years but before it could become official, his father suffered a stroke and had to retire early. Five years later, his plans were once again ready to come to fruition. He was ready to turn his position of CEO over to his father's trusted COO, Simon Godwyn and CFO, Charles Bayard. He spoke about this at lengths with his father and the only reason Uther agreed on his plan was because Arthur agreed to still be a major shareholder of the business, albeit behind the scenes. There was no way Uther would let Arthur fully give up his hold on what Uther spent, nay sacrificed, his life making. All Arthur had to do now was create his official company name and build his own company from the ground up so to speak.

The clock read 10:17. Arthur's meeting was for a 12:00 lunch. He had time. He waltzed back to his room and went for a long shower.

*

Merlin was having a shite morning. His alarm didn't go off because his mobile was dead. His mobile was dead because the charger wasn't hooked on. His charger wasn't hooked on because he remembered that he tripped on it last night, but didn’t bother to check it because he was too exhausted. After silently cursing himself and his clumsiness, he went to wake up and round up his kids.

Having dropped off Percy and Kay at Freya's house and Lizzy at his mum's, he had to rush back to his house to pick up his work portfolio for his meeting with Morgana's brother. If only things could be that simple. Heading for the door, he dropped his portfolio after slipping on some spilled milk – he decided then that whoever came up with the phrase "don't cry over spilled milk" was an utter asshole – and had to scramble to put everything back together. His meeting was at 12 and it was 11:50 already. The restaurant was a half hour away. He decided he would have to splurge on a cab but that would at least shorten the time to 15 minutes away at best. He just hoped that Morgana's brother wouldn't mind too much.

*

Arthur arrived at the quaint, little restaurant at 11:50. Arthur prided himself on being early if not punctual to all his meetings. He set the reservation under Morgana's surname because he didn't want Melvin to know exactly who he was meeting. Morgana promised all she said to her friend was that he was her brother so he shouldn't know who he was meeting with today.

When his watch showed that it was 12:10, Arthur was still in his pleasant mood from the morning so he let it slide. He decided to give the man time for traffic or whatever terrible excuse he was sure to make. When it hit 12:30, Arthur started to get annoyed. This Mervin was starting to spoil his good mood. He decided to phone Morgana. She picked up on the third ring.

"What is it little brother? It's very rude to make phone calls while you’re in a meeting," Morgana drawled.

"I didn't call for a lesson in meeting etiquette, Morgana," said Arthur, gritting his teeth. "Your friend is a no show so I was wondering if you wanted to join me for lunch."

"Oh, really? I hope nothing happened to him. Okay, give me 20 minutes."

"Make it—" click.

"ten minutes..." With a sigh, Arthur hung up his phone. He didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence as Morgana hung up on him. Then he saw the maitre d’ pointing towards him and saw that a frazzled looking man was making his way towards him. Arthur was not amused. As soon as the man reached the table, Arthur spoke with a look of utter business cool.

"You're 30 minutes late, Maurice. Had you not been a friend of Morgana's I would have left 15 minutes ago. Fortunately for you, I was hungry. As first impressions go, you look unkempt and it's not very professional being late, is it?"

Merlin had to stop his jaw from dropping. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Le Fay. I had a very hectic morning. I even splurged on a cab to get here but there was an accident several streets down so I mostly jogged the rest of the way here. And by the way, it's Merlin, not Maurice. Not very professional to get the name of the person you're meeting with wrong, is it?”

Arthur shot his gaze up this time. He was met by startling blue eyes that he knew were trying not to glare. Arthur was annoyed and amused at the same time.

"On that note, my name isn't Mr. Le Fay. It's Pendragon. Arthur Pendragon." Arthur didn't like to use his name to set an impression, but he let it slide this time.

"Oh, CEO of that Avalon Company or whatever, yeah?" Merlin said, not as impressed as Arthur wanted him to be

"Yes," Arthur gritted, "the one and only."

"Oh, brilliant. The building could have been designed better, but you didn't have me then, did you?" Merlin said with a slight tease.

"Excuse me? You can't talk to me like that. I could have you blacklisted from major companies for that alone!" Arthur said, amusement gone.

"Whoa, calm down. It was just a joke, I can only imagine what a joy it would be to work with you" said Merlin, all traces of teasing gone as well.

"And who says you would be working for me?" Arthur huffed.

"My designs alone speak for themselves. Here's a couple of buildings I've designed over the years." Having said that, Merlin handed over a large portfolio from his messenger bag for Arthur to peruse.

Arthur barked out an arrogant laugh.

"Your designs speak for themselves all right." said Arthur handing Merlin back several of his pieces. "Is this some sort of joke? These are children's drawings"

Merlin realized that some of Lizzy and Kay's pictures must have gotten into his portfolio when he dropped it this morning. He was about to tell that to Arthur when Arthur proceeded to unwittingly put his foot in his mouth.

"This one is slightly damp. I won't even ask. And this one! This one would be half decent if you didn't color like a blind child." Arthur said still laughing.

That was it for Merlin, however. That was the cherry on top of his shit-tastic morning. Merlin didn't need this job anyway so he let himself go.

"You are an utter prat. I don't need to stand here and be insulted. You know nothing. I don't even need this job. I came as a courtesy to Morgana. So much for being professional. You can fuck off, thanks very much!" With that, Merlin got up, picked up his bag and stormed off.

Arthur was gawping. He didn't even realize he still had Merlin's portfolio in his hands until Morgana stepped up to him a couple minutes later.

"Was that Merlin I saw storming off down the street? I couldn't be too sure. Arthur? Arthur!" Morgana snapped her perfectly manicured fingers in Arthur's face.

"Huh, what? Oh, yeah, probably." said Arthur, batting Morgana's hands away. "Where the hell did you find that one, Morgana?"

"I met him through Gwen. He's Lance's best friend and business partner."

"Right, I forgot he's in architecture. Ah, so he's the elusive 'Emrys' of the 'Emrys & Du Lac Architecture'. Why didn't you just set up a meeting with Lance?"

"Because, Merlin is the genius behind all the designs and Lance is more on the operations and finance side of things."

"Genius? His designs were pathetic!" Scoffed Arthur

"What the hell are you talking about? His designs are beautiful!" Argued Morgana.

"Just look." Arthur said and handed over Merlin's book.

Morgana snatched it and after flipping past several detached pages, was giving the fond/impressed smile she rarely gives out. Arthur was puzzled.

"Okay, I know you're fond of crayon because you have a brat of your own, but what the hell has got you looking like that?"

Morgana just handed the book back but open to the page she was looking at. Arthur gasped. It was breath-taking. The detail of the small country house was magnificent and it was colored in with watercolor, not crayon. He noticed on the bottom left corner, the inscription “Ealdor” was hastily written. Then, as there was nothing for it, he flipped through more the rest of the book and saw picture after picture of gorgeous buildings and other structures. Arthur started to get an uneasy feeling. When he looked up, Morgana was looking at him with a piercing stare.

"What. Did. You. Do." Morgana said with false patience.

With a resigned sigh, Arthur told her everything from the moment Merlin got there to when he stormed out.

"Fucking hell! Arthur James Pendragon! Tell me you did not! I cannot even."

"Morg—"

Morgana held up her hand to stop Arthur from saying anymore. She then took a couple of deep breaths.

"The only reason I'm not slapping you upside your arrogant little head is because Merlin is right and you know nothing. He really doesn't need this job, but I thought he was the only one who would be able to relay the vision of the building you want on paper. Know this, Merlin is doing well for himself seeing as he's a divorced man with 3 kids. But the absolute kicker is that Lizzy, his youngest little angel, was in an accident when she was 2, causing her to be heavily visually impaired. She can only see in fuzzy colors and that's it!"

Arthur felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Sure, he didn't know, but that still didn't excuse his behavior.

"'colors like a blind child' fucking, honestly, Arthur! What happened to all your 'professionalism'" Morgana said, still in her righteous anger.

"I don't know. Everything went out the window when it came to your friend. I don't. Ugh, shit. I've fucked up, haven't I" admitted Arthur.

"You think?!?" Morgana nearly shrieked.

Arthur cringed, but then had an idea.

"Morgana, please. Stop yelling. We've had an audience for the better part of 10 minutes now. And before you can yell at me for saying that, I have an idea." Arthur said quickly.

Morgana huffed and Arthur took that as his cue to continue.

"I'll go hand deliver his portfolio on Monday and apologize. Profusely."

"No."

"No?" Arthur was confused.

"You'll drop it off today."

"But—"

"No buts, Arthur. I mean it." Morgana then took out her phone to text Arthur a time and address.

"You expect me to drop all my plans for the rest of the day and—"

"Save it, Arthur. No one works on a Saturday anyway. Besides, I’m practically your best mate, Lance is with Gwen, Gwaine is out of the country, and—”

“Okay, okay. It’s unsettling that we have the same group of friends sometimes.” said Arthur, resigned to his fate.

“If I hear that you didn't go today, so help me, I'll tell Uther all about what you really did during your ‘gap year’." Morgana said with an evil smile.

"You wouldn't." Arthur gasped.

"Fucking try me, Arthur. Merlin's become a dear friend of mine so don't for a second think I wouldn't. Plus, when have you ever known me to make empty threats."

Arthur gulped.

"Exactly. Now let's order lunch.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Pendragon problem presented.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't plan for this to happen, but it did. Here you go.

Arthur was going mad from sheer boredom. Having cancelled the rest of his plans for the day, he had nothing to do but wait for the time to reach 6 PM. That was the time Morgana had specified for him to go over to “apologize profusely” to Merlin. It was 5:02.

Arthur had half a mind to show up early but he thought against it. If he showed up and no one was there, he would just look suspicious and creepy. Thinking why not, he pulled out Merlin’s portfolio again to look at it for the 7th time that day. He was still blown away by the pictures. His favorite one was the first one he saw when Morgana handed him the notebook. The one with the hastily scribbled “Ealdor” on it. Having nothing better to do, Arthur decided to google it. As soon as he grabbed his phone, he was fumbling not to drop it because it started to ring with the shrill tones of a pop song he didn’t recognize.

Looking at the screen, Morgana’s named was flashing on it.

“Bloody hell!” Arthur sighed and counted to three before he picked up the phone.

“When the hell did you get the chance to change my ringtone?” Arthur spoke without a proper greeting.

“Arthur?” whispered a shaky voice.

“Morgana?” Arthur was on the edge of his seat.

“It’s. It’s dad.”

Arthur knew it was bad if Morgana was calling Uther any sort of fatherly term in regards to herself.

“Where are you?” Arthur demanded in the gentlest way possible.

“I’m at the estate. Also, there’s a DI here wishing to speak to me but I wouldn’t let him. Not until you’re here, so hurry.”

“I’ll be there in 15.” Arthur hung up, grabbed his keys and his coat, and ran out. He was grateful Morgana left it brief. She knew he’d rather hear any kind of news in person rather than on the phone.

*

Morgana was on her way to pick up Mordred from his cello lessons when she got the phone call.

“Hello, I’m with the Camelot Met. Am I speaking with Morgana LeFay?” said a voice too perky to warrant any bad news.

“This is she,” said Morgana cautiously.

“Please stay on the line while I transfer you to D.I. Leon Knight”

There were hundreds of paranoid thoughts in Morgana’s head that she was trying to tamp down. After what seemed like an hour, when it was maybe a minute, a gruff voice picked up the phone.

“Morgana LeFay, step-daughter of Uther Pendragon?” said a tired but professional voice.

“Yes. This is she. What is this all about?” said Morgana with fading patience.

“This conversation is a bit delicate to have over the phone. How soon can you get to your father’s home?”

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” Morgana hung up and changed course to Uther’s estate. She made a quick call to ask Gwen to pick Mordred up and keep him at hers until further notice.

Morgana was dreading the news. She had no idea what could be so “sensitive” and before she could think darker thoughts, she found herself driving up the driveway and parking behind two Met vehicles and an ambulance. She exited her car and went to the open door. She entered the house and walked into the sitting room. There, she saw Uther with a shock blanket over his shoulders and a cold, faraway look in his eyes. That is, until he heard her heels clacking to an abrupt stop at the doorway. He suddenly stood up and walked straight over to her.

Morgana stood frozen to the spot and found herself suddenly engulfed in a hug. She tensed at first, but found herself relaxing and returning the hug. Pendragons were infamous for their lack of affection so Morgana knew it must be really bad. Then, there was a cough behind her. Before Morgana let go of Uther, she heard a whispered “Helen was murdered” from him.

Morgana gasped and abruptly turned to the tall bloke with curly, sandy brown hair who she assumed to be the D.I.

“I’m Detective Inspector Leon Knight—”

“No.” Morgana said

“Excuse me—”

“No.” Morgana repeated with authority. “We’re going to wait for my brother to get here before you say another word.”

The D.I. narrowed his eyes but gave her a nod to say he understood. He may not be used to taking orders but he could see that it would be a terrible mistake to go against this stunningly fierce looking woman.

Morgana gave Uther’s hand a squeeze and excused herself. Out in the hallway, she leaned against the wall and took a shaky breath. She couldn’t lose it. Not yet. She didn’t even know what happened. Taking another breath, she dialed her brother’s number

*

Arthur ended up in his father’s driveway in record time, his brakes screeching and probably marking the pristine pavement. He jumped out of his car and ran to the house. He immediately made his way to the sitting room and found Uther with bloodshot eyes and a shock blanket on top of his shoulders, one hand grasped in Morgana’s. They both had a faraway look in their eyes. He saw a man walking towards him but before he could get a word in, Arthur held up a hand—the universal sign of “not now”— and rushed over to kneel down on the carpet in front of them.

“What happened?” Arthur said feeling more anxious than ever.

“You must be the brother.” Said a gruff voice a couple paces behind.

Arthur turned to look at the person who spoke.

“I’m Detective Inspector Leon Knight with the Camelot Met. With the lady’s permission, may I speak now?” Said the DI with a raised eyebrow to Morgana.

Morgana gave the DI a single nod of confirmation.

Giving Arthur time to seat himself next to Morgana, The DI cut to the chase.

“However unpleasant this may sound, I don’t believe in beating around the bush. As it is, you people don’t seem to suffer fools so I’m just going to come out and say it.” He paused for a brief moment in the off chance he’d get an objection. He didn’t get one.

“Mr. Pendragon Senior’s live-in caretaker, Helen Mary Collins, was murdered at around 9 AM this morning. At first glance, it seemed she suffered a heart attack but at the express urging of Mr. Pendragon himself, we ordered a toxicology report. While waiting for the report to come in, there was an attempt on your father’s life.”

Morgana let out a gasp of horror at that.

“Luckily, we had a security detail on hand as is protocol when we have a potential homicide case. Your father and his paranoia is what saved his life. As it was, an hour before the attempt, the toxicology report came back in as a positive and we were able to give the security detail a heads up. The assassin in question has been apprehended and we’ll let you know more when we do.” The DI finished and then reached for a small notebook in his jacket pocket.

“Now, I have a few questions in hopes to resolve this case as soon as possible. Do any of you have possible enemies that would be capable of such action?”

Arthur let out an ugly scoff.

“Do you know who my father is? Do you live under a rock? We’re Pendragons. Head of Avalon Tech Inc. We’re the top of the line in our business. Of course we have enemies.” Arthur wanted to continue berating this DI for his ignorance when Morgana spoke up.

“What was the assassin’s name.” It was a demand, not a question.

The DI gritted his teeth. It was going to be a trying case. Not unsolvable, no, just bloody irritating with the type of people involved.

“I meant, is there anybody specific you had in mind? And we don’t have a name for you—”

“Describe him to me.” Morgana said tersely.

The DI let out a long-suffering sigh and flipped a few pages of his notebook.

“All we know about the assassin is that he’s male, in his 40s, dark brown hair and had a snaggletooth.”

“FUCK!” Both Pendragon siblings yelled at once.

“Jonas.” Said Uther. Besides whispering to Morgana earlier, that was the first word he uttered since.

Before the DI could even open his mouth to speak, Morgana glanced at him with a piercing stare that stopped him. Instead, he flipped his notebook to a blank page and waited for her to continue.

“About 5-6 years ago, Uther was engaged to be married to a woman named Katrina Tregor. Long story short, she turned out to be a manipulative and conniving troll that almost cost my family billions in damages. My brother and I were able to stop the whole charade in time and we sued her for all she was worth. She took her own life before she could get properly arrested. That’s when we found out her butler, Jonas,” Morgana snarled the name, “was actually her lover and partner in crime because he went mental with death threats and you can imagine what else. Then shortly after, he disappeared. Roughly around the same time—” Morgana let out a gasp.

Arthur caught onto Morgana’s train of thought and suddenly smashed his fist against the glass coffee table.

“Arthur!” Morgana shrieked in horror.

Arthur could feel the bruise beginning to form already, but he couldn't care less about that. He turned around and linked eyes with his father. 

“Your heart attack wasn’t natural. It wasn’t due to stress. It was fucking Jonas.”

The DI was scribbling like mad, but halted at the scene before him. That was unexpected. He wanted to ask questions but thought better of it. He then proceeded to give the Pendragons some space and stepped out into the hallway. He took out his phone to call his partner.

“I’m going to need the hospital records of roughly 5-6 years ago of one, Uther Pendragon. Yeah, just do it. It’s going to be a long night.”

*

DI Leon Knight was at his desk on a Saturday morning, finishing up some last minute paperwork when he got the call.

“DI Knight,” answered Leon.

“Good Morning, Detective Inspector!” trilled a voice too perky for the morning

“What is it, Ellie,” said Leon with a long-suffering voice. He didn’t have his second cup of coffee yet so he was barely functioning.

“Detective Commissioner Anhora wishes to see you in his office, sir Knight!” said Ellie with a giggle.

“Elena Victoria Godwyn. You’re killing me. Tone it down a notch, will you?” said Leon, exasperatedly.

“No, I shan’t. Now if you stop by my desk before you see the DC, I have your second cup of coffee. Bye now!” said Ellie before she hung up.

Leon couldn’t help but smile at that. He met Elena on a homicide case a couple years ago. The strangest one he ever had. He’s still not sure if it could actually count as one, seeing as the victim was a horse, but he took the case as a favor to the DC. Seeing as Elena was his niece, it wasn’t like he could really refuse. When he solved the case, Ellie was so grateful that she willingly volunteered for the admin position at the Met. For that alone, everyone at the met just grins and bears her unbearable perkiness. No one lasts at that job for more than a couple months and she’s been there for a couple of years now. With a fond shake of his head, he got up from his desk to head over to get his coffee before facing DC Anhora.

“Ellie, you’re a star. If I’m ever grumpy with you again, I give you permission to smack me.” said Leon

“As if I need your permission. Besides, you know I’d prefer to tug a curl of yours! Now, run along.” said Ellie

“Oi! I’m only forgiving you your cheek because of this coffee.” Said Leon, ruffling Ellie’s hair. “Block off all calls to me unless it’s an emergency. Ta!”

With that, Leon turned the corner over to his boss’s office.

“Sir, you wanted to see me?” said Leon, closing the door after him.

“Yes, have a seat. DI Knight, I’m afraid I’m calling you in for another favor.” said DC Anohra

“Who is it this time?”

“The only reason I’m asking you and not Owain, is because I know I can trust you to be discreet,” said Anhora with a meaningful look.

“Of course, sir. What can I do for you?” said Leon

“The man in question is high profile and we don’t want to cause scandal if he’s proven correct.”

“Understood.”

“Do you know who Uther Pendragon is?”

“Of course I do, sir.” Leon was a bit insulted at the question but it was just protocol.

“Well, his live in care died of a heart attack this morning, but Mr. Pendragon is adamantly insisting we get a tox screen for her. From reports, it shows he suffers from paranoia, but we can’t afford to ignore this. He’s a very powerful man so if we need to expend some resources to appease him, I’d say do it.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Good. I’m having you head this case if the tox report comes back positive. It should be here around 3 PM. For now, we have a security detail at his estate as is protocol in these matters. So be on standby and if you find anything out, give them a heads up first.” said Anhora with a note of dismissal in his voice.

“Yes, sir.”

Leon waited until he was out of Anhora’s office before he let out a long suffering sigh. He was already heading 2 other investigations and today was supposed to be his day off. With nothing for it, he went back to his desk to finish off the paperwork from earlier.

After an hour, Leon was finished and stumped on what to do. His partner was off questioning a couple of suspects on one case and his other case was at a standstill. For now, he had to remind himself. Hating being idle, Leon decided to google Uther Pendragon. Having taken a quick look at his file, he knew that he had two kids, but not what they looked like. As soon as he entered “Uther,” the search engine went mad with link after link, but not before showing a couple of image results as well. He clicked on the first image and was taken aback.

The Pendragon family was on the cover of some prominent magazine, but that wasn’t what got to him. The family before him bore such a regal presence, he felt like a peasant in comparison. No, I’d at least be a knight, he thought to himself and chuckled with a wry expression. Ellie would be so proud. He looked at his watch. It was 11:30. He grabbed his coat and decided to head out for a quick bite.

When Leon got back to the Met, it was only 1:30 but he decided to drop by the dungeons of the ME’s office to see if the tox screen came back early.

“Forridel, I will never understand how you can chew on a biscuit while examining a body.” said Leon with a grimace.

“And you will never need to,” said Forridel with a smirk. “What brings you down here? Oh right. The tox report, yeah? I should be getting it any minute now.”

“Brilliant. I’ll just wait here then. What do you think the report will say?” said Leon, trying to will the time to go faster.

“Well, I examined the body in the morning and there was a trace of something there…” said Forridel lost in thought, “so this Pendragon bloke could very well be right.”

“Grand,” said Leon with a grim look. More work. There goes his already nonexistent, social life. Leon thought it was funny that as soon as he mentioned his social life, the fax went off.

“What’s the verdict?” asked Leon, crossing his fingers in hopes of a negative report.

“Bloody hell. Oleander poisoning? That’s new. Pendragon must be rich if he could afford to warrant such a detailed tox screen.” amused Forridel

“Just because you live in the dungeons, doesn’t mean you should shy away from current events, Forr. Uther Pendragon is the one who built the Avalon Tech empire.” Said Leon, exasperatedly.

“Well then, it’s just another attempt at the life of a rich bloke. Surely he must have had several by now?” assumed Forridel.

“Actually, no. This is the first for him and hopefully the last. Oleander you said? What, like the rose bay plant?”

“I’m impressed, Leon! There was a heavy amount of it found in her body. I didn’t see any holes of injection so she must have consumed it somehow. But that’s really odd…”

“Why is it odd? Forr, help me out here, I need to get the ball rolling on this case.” pleaded Leon.

“Oh, use your head! Figures you’d know one thing and completely bypass the other. There are no Oleanders in Camelot. That means, the old man’s paranoia saved his life. Lucky, lucky.” said Forridel.

“Shit. Okay, cheers, Forr, I need to go.” said Leon over his shoulder as he raced back to the ground floor.

On route, he called Ellie.

“Hey, Ellie, not a social call. Patch me through to the security detail over at the Pendragon estate, now!”

“On it.” Ellie said without complaint.

“PC Deira,” answered a bored voice.

“DI Knight, here. This is officially a homicide case. Be on the lookout for anything suspicious. I’m sending another unit your way just to be safe until I can get there myself.”

“Yes, sir. Oi, Oswald, this is officially— hang on, what was that? Go check it out. Over there, you numpty!”

“Deira, I’ll be there in 15 minutes. Go back Oswald up.” said Leon and he hung up the phone. He shot a quick text to his partner and headed out for his car. Then he called Ellie again.

“Patch me through to Anhora.”

This time, there was no response, just the automatic transfer of the call.

“DC Anhora.”

“Sir, the Collins-Pendragon case is officially homicide. I’ve already alerted the security detail and dispatched another unit and I’m on my way there now. I think something suspicious is going on.”

“Very good, Leon. Keep me updated on the case.”

“Sir.” Leon hung up the phone and got into his car. Then he realized he had no idea where he was heading. He dialed Ellie again.

“Ellie, I need the address for the Pendragon Estate.”

“I’ve sent it to your phone, just plug it into the car. Bye now!”

How Ellie seemed to sound perky in the midst of chaos would always be a mystery to Leon. He plugged in his phone, set the GPS and drove off.

He remembered vaguely that whatever suspicious activity was happening was in the back, so as soon as he parked, he rushed to the back. He walked into the scene of a PC down with a gunshot wound to the leg and another PC straddling the back of a figure in all black, trying to handcuff him. As soon as he got the handcuffs on, the PC started to get off the man, but Leon knew that was a mistake.

The man in black suddenly jumped up, bashing his head into the PC who cuffed him, and tried to make a run for it. Leon had no choice but to tackle him.

“You’re quite sprightly, aren’t you? I’m afraid I’m going to have to arrest you for the possible murder of Helen Collins and the attempt at Uther Pendragon’s life. If anything, the assault of a PC. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Now, up you get.”

Leon was marching him over to the squad car when the backup unit arrived.

“How is it that I’m here before you?” Leon said dismayed. “No, don’t answer that. Just take him back down to the met and book him. I’ll let my partner do the questioning. Go on, now. Everything else is under control here.”

The unit followed his orders and took the man to the car. Leon thought it was a little brilliant that the man sewed his balaclava into his turtle neck, but he was annoyed because then he would have to wait and see how this man looked like. Leon quickly shot a text to Ellie for her to send a PDF version of this case file to his phone. He got a response a couple minutes later.

“Right, in case of emergency contact is… huh, surprisingly the daughter and not the son. LeFay?”

“She’s his step daughter from his first marriage.” Answered a cool voice.

“Morgause! When did you get here? Did you see my text?” said Leon, surprised.

“Yeah, I was already on my way here when you sent that text. I’m already up to speed. And it’s Morgana LeFay because she didn’t join the Pendragon family until she was 10.” said Morgause.

“Keeping up with the tabloids, are you?” said Leon with a tease.

“Still talking to yourself, are you? And no, I’m just doing our job for us, more thoroughly, I might add.” said Morgause with a smirk.

“Anything on the Myror case?” said Leon, a little miffed.

“Yeah, it was as we suspected, he was a hired merc. Something to do with a drug cartel and well we’ve done our part and now the case has shifted over to MI5.”

“Fancy. Still nowhere on the Lamia case, yeah?”

“Unfortunately,” said Morgause with steel in her tone.

“Okay, well I’m going to need you to handle the bloke we just got back at the met. I’ve got things covered here. Oh and send me his description and whatever you find on him when you get there, yeah? I’m going to have to question the family.” said Leon

“Of course. I’ll see you later then.” said Morgause, already walking back to her car.

“Ta!” Leon shouted after her. Then he called Ellie.

“Hey, calling about the ongoing case. Can you call Morgana LeFay and patch her through to me? Cheers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't expect that, huh? Well neither did I. This story is going to take you for a ride, but I hope you stick around for it all :) I know certain things that are going to happen, but the rest? Yeah, fair game for my silly brain. I'm honestly surprised that people even like this, cheers to all you lovelies!
> 
> The second and third chapter were already underway when I posted the first chapter so I'm hoping to post the third one soon!
> 
> x


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin gets to wind down and there's a little surprise in store for Arthur.

By the time Merlin got to his own home, it was nearing 8 PM. After Merlin stormed out of the meeting with the utter arse of man, Arthur Pratdragon, Merlin found himself heading for his mum’s.

“Well, that was quick. Did he hire you on the spot or what?” said Hunith, amused. Taking one look at her eldest, however, she began to frown.

“Where’s Lizzy?” said Merlin, tiredly.

“She’s in the garden with Gaius. Now, let me make you a cuppa and you can tell me all about it.” said Hunith, walking towards the kitchen.

Merlin walked in and immediately set out for the garden. There, he saw Lizzy lying on the grass while Gaius was standing a couple paces away, tutting at her, but trying to hide a smile. Merlin thought his daughter had the right idea and went to go lie down beside her. As soon as he did, Lizzy rolled over on top of him.

“Lizzy, let your father breathe,” said Gaius, though he went unheard.

“Hullo, daddy.”

“Hullo, Lizzy.”

“I knew you would make it in time for my tea party,” said Lizzy with her head on her father’s chest.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, love.” said Merlin with a content smile on his face. They spent a couple of more minutes like that when they both heard Hunith yell that the tea was ready. Lizzy jumped up from her position, but before she could go off running, Merlin grabbed her by her tiny waist.

“Now, Lizzy. What did I say about running?”

“Don’t?” said Lizzy with a shy smile.

“That’s right. Just because you know your way around this house, doesn’t mean that you won’t trip or fall. Now where are your glasses?” said Merlin

“Yes, daddy,” said Lizzy contritely. “Gruncle Gaius? Where’s my magic goggles and staff?”

With a fond smile on his face, Gaius handed over Lizzy’s glasses and walking stick.

“Thank you!” screamed Lizzy as she quickly put on her glasses and all but power-walked to the house, barely using her stick.

“Merlin, my boy! They grow up so fast. You sure you want to join our little tea party? You look exhausted,” said Gaius with a slight frown.

“I’m okay, thanks. Just had a hectic morning. And a meeting that went tits up,” sighed Merlin.

“Happens to the best of us. Now let’s go inside and join your mother and Lizzy.” said Gaius, reaching a hand out for Merlin to take.

Merlin took the proffered hand and got up. As they both entered the house, Merlin saw that the coffee table was completely set up for Lizzy’s tea party.

“Welcome to Lizzy’s lu-luminer-luminous luncheon!” said Lizzy with a proud smile on her face.

“Big words, Lizzy. Who helped you with that one?” asked Merlin

“The telly!” said Lizzy as she began to carefully place small sandwiches on the tiny plates of her tea set.

“I guess the telly isn’t complete rubbish for you after all,” mused Gaius.

Merlin was looking at his daughter with a fond, albeit sad smile. She was only 5 and yet her life was already going to be 5 times more difficult for her than for other kids. Having glasses that were almost as thick as bifocals at her age was rare. He knew she only had a few more years left before she wouldn’t be able to see at all and he had to tamp down the long-aged anger he had towards his ex-wife.

He loved Mithian once upon a time, but their relationship started to strain after their second kid. Then a couple of years later, Lizzy happened. She was an unplanned surprise, but Merlin loved her all the same. If Mithian wasn’t so preoccupied with everything else but her daughter, the accident could have been easily avoided. In the end, they were able to divorce amicably, but he didn’t think he could ever really forgive her for her carelessness.

“Merlin, honey, don’t go down that path again. I can see it in your eyes.” Hunith gently chided.

“Sorry, mum.” said Merlin and shook his head to snap himself out of it.

“Daddy, here’s your tea!” said Lizzy shakily lifting a small cup to her dad. Then she looked up and thought better against it.

“Wait! It looks like you could use my secret, extra-special ingredient.” proclaimed Lizzy. “Everybody, please close your eyes.”

All the adults then proceeded to “close their eyes” as all adults do when they still want to see what’s going on.

Lizzy then placed the tea cup back on the table, and after confirming that the adults had their eyes closed, smacked a quiet kiss on her palm and blew it gently on top of the tea. Merlin nearly choked back a sob.

“Okay, daddy! You can drink it now!” said Lizzy proudly.

“Thank you, my little darling.” said Merlin, carefully taking the tea and drinking it as if it were the elixir to life. Merlin then got up to place a kiss on Lizzy’s forehead, causing her to giggle. He could see Hunith trying to slyly wipe a stray tear.

“Okay, now that daddy’s had his tea, everyone can serve themselves! I’m going to take a nap with Kilgarrah!” said Lizzy with the cheek she caught from her father

“Kilgarrah’s here!?” said a surprised Merlin.

“Yes, he must have snuck into the car when you dropped Lizzy off earlier,” said Hunith

“Bloody cat. I shouldn’t be surprised. He has a hidden agenda, that one. I guess I should be grateful he took it upon himself to be Lizzy’s bodyguard.”

Seeing Lizzy crawled up with the cat on the couch caused the rest of the tension from the day to flow out of Merlin.

“Now that the little one is sleeping, do you want to tell us what happened today?” asked Hunith.

All it took was one look at Gaius’ eyebrow of doom to get Merlin to start talking. After sketching out his rough night at the office and the conference call he had to bring home with him, he told them about his difficult morning and his even more difficult meeting with one, Arthur Pendragon.

“And I know he didn’t know, but his last remark hit too close to home about Lizzy so I may or may not have told him very gently to fuck off.” said Merlin meekly.

“Merlin Emrys!” scolded Hunith, “you and that foul mouth of yours. Will was like a second son to me, you know that, but I won’t forgive him for introducing you to the world of foul language.”

Merlin found himself grimacing at the mention of Will. No matter how many years went by, he would never be able to let go of the guilt he felt at what happened. He couldn’t be more grateful to Gaius for changing the subject with a knowing look on his face.

“Pendragon, you say? Do you mean Uther’s son?” asked Gaius.

“Yeah, the glamourous CEO of Avalon Tech Inc. Hang on, Uther? Since when are you on a first name basis with Uther Pendragon?” asked Merlin

“Ah, well, you see my boy, I used to be the family physician for the Pendragons. Igraine Pendragon was newly pregnant when I retired from medicine to study and get my doctorate in psychology. They were a good family and I was sorry to hear of her passing.” said Gaius

“She passed away? When?” asked Merlin.

“She died in childbirth” said Gaius with a forlorn look.

“That certainly explains why Arthur is the way he is,” muttered Merlin to himself.

“Merlin Sherriford Emrys!” said a horrified Hunith. “That is a terrible thing to say!”

“Aww, mum, not the middle name.” Merlin pouted. “I was just thinking out loud, not trying to be insensitive.”

“Still, give your mum a heart attack saying nasty things like that, why don’t you! I raised you better than that, young man.” said Hunith with a no-nonsense tone.

“Yes, mum. I’m sorry.” said Merlin with the grace to look abashed.

“You better be. Now why don’t you go and get yourself some sleep. You look like you can use it. Go on. Your room will always be your room.” said Hunith getting up from the floor.

She gently kissed Merlin on his forehead, mirroring the moment he had with his daughter, and started to clear the table.

“She’s right you know,” said Gaius, “about both the unnecessary comment and your serious need for a nap. Go on. We can catch up another time. I’m here for Hunith today, anyway.”

“Alright, thanks, Gaius.” With that, Merlin left them to watch over Lizzy and went to his old room down the hall. As soon as he hit the bed, Merlin was out cold.

Merlin woke up feeling extremely well-rested. He had a calm state of mind until he glanced over to the bedside table to see that it was 6:15 PM. Merlin scrambled out of bed and rushed out of his old room into the sitting room. No one was around and all the lights were off. Before he could get into a mild panic, he heard the kitchen lights click on.

“Calm down, Merlin. Gaius drove Lizzy over to Freya’s house about an hour ago so she could have dinner with her brothers,” said Hunith.

“Mum! Why didn’t you wake me up?” asked Merlin

“We all figured you could do with the rest. Freya was more than happy to have the lot for dinner so we let you be,” answered Hunith.

“Thanks, mum,” said Merlin, “I think I’m going to head over there now.”

“As I thought you would,” said Hunith.

Merlin grabbed his keys from the kitchen table and Hunith walked him out of the house.

“Try not to overwork yourself, Merlin. You’re only one person,” chided Hunith.

“Yes, mum. I’ll talk to you later,” said Merlin after kissing her on the cheek.

Merlin motioned his mother to go inside first and as soon as she did, he drove off to Freya’s house.

*

Arthur was silent as he was driving back to his flat, Morgana with the same disposition in the passenger seat. He was contemplating on how his pleasant morning continued to transform into a bad afternoon, ending with a Kafkaesque night.

“Arthur? Do you think it wise for Uther to stay at his estate right now?” asked Morgana.

“Surprisingly, yes. If Jonas is in league with someone else, they would be pretty stupid to try his estate again so soon,” said Arthur. "In league. Ugh, it sounds like we're in some kind of C grade movie."

“Thanks for driving,” said Morgana with a weak smile. “My head is too all over the place right now. What am I supposed to tell Mordred?

“Nothing for now, Morgs. We already agreed to this,” said Arthur, patiently.

“Right,” said Morgana, nodding her head, “but it’s not like I can really say nothing. I bet Gwen is worried sick!”

“According to the DI, we’re allowed to give our P.A’s the bare details of what happened, as this will obviously hinder our work schedules for a little while,” said Arthur.

“Gwen is more than just my P.A, Arthur!” Morgana said with a glare.

“Yes, I know,” said Arthur tiredly, “I’m not exactly going to tell on you if you give her the full story.”

“Sorry for snapping,” Morgana said with a grimace. “I just need to—”

“I know, Morgana, I know.” said Arthur.

Gathering herself together, Morgana took a deep breath before she spoke again, voice steady.

“Okay, new plan. When we get to your flat, we’re going to have a drink, just one, clear our heads and figure out what to do for the time being. Then I’m going to take a cab to Gwen’s and take Mordred home.”

“Agreed.” Said Arthur with a nod.

*

When Merlin got to Freya’s house, they were right in the middle of dinner.

“Dad!”

“Daddy!”

“Hey, dad!”

Three voices rang out at the same time.

“Hullo, kids,” greeted Merlin, “what’s for tea?”

“Auntie Frey got Indian takeaway for us!” yelled Kay.

“Hello, big brother,” greeted Freya. “There’s still some curry leftover if you want.”

“Oh, thank the gods, I’m famished!” remarked Merlin as he pulled out a chair.

“Did you get enough sleep, dad?” questioned Percy with a smile.

“Yes, I did, in fact. Thanks for asking, Perce. Now if you’re quite finished with your food, why don’t you go and pack your stuff. We’ll be leaving after I eat,” said Merlin.

“Alrighty,” said Percy, hopping off his chair.

“Thanks for taking the lot for a bit longer,” said Merlin before he practically inhaled his food.

“Chew your food, you’re not an animal,” said an amused Freya, “and you know it’s never a problem. I love my nephews and my niece.”

“Ta, Frey,” said Merlin with his mouthful.

“Speaking with your mouthful, eh? What a wonderful influence you are to your kids,” Freya mock-chastised.

Merlin just stuck out his tongue, causing Kay to laugh. Merlin just winked at his son.

“Oh, where’s Lucan? Working late again?” asked Merlin, mouth clear of food this time.

“He’s on some kind of new case. They have him working a security detail and unfortunately he drew the short end of the stick and got the third watch. He left a bit before you got here,” answered Freya.

“Oh, well you’re more than welcome to spend the night in the guest room if you don’t want to be alone,” suggested Merlin.

“Ever the big brother. I’ll be fine,” said Freya fondly.

“If you say so,” said Merlin, “but the invitation is always open. You’ve got the spare key and the alarm codes, right?

“Yes, yes. Now finish your food,” said Freya.

*

As Arthur and Morgana stepped off the elevator, Arthur started to feel a little uneasy. He didn’t know why, but he felt he should be on his guard. Morgana caught on to his shift in posture and found herself doing the same. When Arthur opened the door to his flat, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He continued to walk into his flat, but stopped at Morgana’s loud intake of breath.

When he turned around, he followed Morgana’s gaze to the island kitchen. There, sitting very innocently, was a vase of blood-red Oleanders.

“Arthur, call DI Knight. Right the fuck now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ended with a little bit of a cliffhanger. Now, the updates will most likely come a bit slower, but still once a week, I'll try my best, I promise!
> 
>  
> 
> x


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret brought to light.

After discussing with the Pendragons what their next course of action should be, Leon ordered an around the clock security detail on the Pendragon Estate and headed back to the Met. He tried to get Pendragon Senior another caretaker, however temporary, but he refused point blank saying he couldn’t trust anybody. Leon all but jumped to agree when Uther said he’d find someone himself, but to just to give him a day.

While thinking on his next move, a call came. He put it on speaker.

“DI Knight speaking”

“Leon, it’s Morgause. Just letting you know, I’ve managed to get him to admit he’s not working alone before he went absolutely bat-shit crazy and we had to sedate him. Heavily. He’ll be useless until tomorrow and we won’t get the hospital records until Monday, so call it a night and go home.”

“Are you sure?” asked Leon.

“Yes. Unless there are any new developments, there’s nothing left to do,” answered Morgause.

“If you say so. Go home soon, yeah?”

“Will do,” said Morgause and ended the call.

Leon made a detour and headed towards his flat. He had no energy to cook himself anything, so he decided to grab a bite at the chippy right across his flat.

Getting out of his car, he realized he was still driving a squad car and silently cursed. He would have to switch cars after he ate.

Leon got an order of fish and chips and sat down to eat. Just as he was questioning why he took his squad car instead of his own car today, he got another call. Wiping his greasy hand on a napkin, he picked up.

“DI Knight.”

“Arthur Pendragon. You need to get to my flat, right the fuck now.” Said a terse voice before the call was ended.

Leon couldn’t believe the nerve of the Pendragons. Rich as they might be, he was still a government agent that deserved at least a modicum of respect. Seeing as this would be considered a “development” in the case, Leon just sighed and got up to throw away his half eaten food. Right when he was about to call Ellie for an address, he got a text from Pendragon with the address to his flat. Of course he would live in a Penthouse.

Halfway there, he called Morgause.

“DI Gorlois”

“It’s Leon. There’s been a development. Pendragon’s flat. I'll text the address. Meet me there. It’s the Penthouse. I’ll be inside,” said Leon

“See you soon,” responded Morgause and hung up.

When Leon got to Pendragon’s building, he couldn’t help but let out an appreciative whistle.

“The life of the other side,” Leon said to himself. When he got to the front of Arthur’s door, he knocked three times and called out “DI Knight.”

The door swung open and Arthur stepped aside to let Leon in.

“Inside. Kitchen Island,” Arthur said with a jerk of his head in the direction of said area.

Leon didn’t get to appreciate the luxury of Arthur’s flat because as soon as he walked a few feet, he saw the blood-red Oleanders.

“Shit!” Leon swore. “You didn’t touch anything did you?”

“Of course we didn’t,” said a deceptively, cool voice behind him. “You said Helen died of Oleander poisoning, did you not?”

“Miss Le Fay! I didn’t know you were here as well,” said Leon.

“Oh please, call us Arthur and Morgana. You’re the lead in this clusterfuck of a case we’re a part of. We may need to get strangely, intimately acquainted so drop the formalities as we will, Leon,” said Morgana matter-of-factly.

Leon took a long look at Morgana. She matched his gaze, never turning away. Although he could see what an incredibly strong woman Morgana was, he could see a touch of vulnerability in her eyes, most likely brought out by the flowers on the kitchen table. Leon simply nodded his head to agree and then Morgana looked away with a small triumphant smile. It was almost cute. If one could describe a vicious feline as cute.

Just then, he saw Morgana’s coolly composed face falter dramatically.

“Mo-Morgause?” said Morgana in a whisper, her hand half covering her mouth and her eyes unblinking.

“Hello, sister. This isn’t how I imagined our reunion, but things couldn’t be helped,” said Morgause, wryly.

“SISTER!?” said Arthur and Leon in unison.

Before anyone else could say anything, Morgana took a faltering step back and would’ve fallen if not for Leon’s fast reflexes.

“You-you, but you’re dead!” Morgana continued in shock. “How are you here, when you’re dead!?”

“Up until several years ago, I thought you were dead as well,” said Morgause with a sad smile.

“Will someone please explain to the class, what the actual fuck is going on?” said Arthur in an ill-concealed state of shock.

Leon thought the past several years suddenly made a lot more sense. He turned to give his partner a meaningful look.

She gave one back with a slight nod.

“Not here. Leon, call Anhora. Update him and send for a team to seal this location off as a crime scene and have them do a sweep,” ordered Morgause.

“But what about my stuff?” Arthur demanded.

“I’m sorry, Arthur. As of now, everything in your flat is part of a crime scene, so you can’t take anything until it’s been cleared,” said Morgause.

“Fan-fucking-tastic!” snarled Arthur.

After steadying Morgana, Leon called Anhora and did everything his partner asked him. In the background, he could still hear Arthur pleading with Morgause about the possibility of taking any of his stuff with him.

*

When the lines of yellow security tape were rolled across the door, Arthur took one last, forlorn look at his flat and the four of them exited the building.

They all walked down the street and stopped in front of a dingy diner.

“‘Diamair’s Diner: the Key to all Knowledge within My Food’,” read Arthur aloud. “What rubbish. Has this place always been here? It's filthy!” asked Arthur trying not to wrinkle his nose.

“Yes,” answered Morgause, pushing the door open.

“Four coffees. Black.” Said Leon as they passed by the waitress in the front.

They went to a booth in a secluded corner. After the waitress dropped off their coffees, Morgause spoke up.

“Now, I think I’ve promised you all an explanation.”

Arthur grabbed Morgana’s hand under the table in silent support. She squeezed back in thanks. Arthur saw Leon give his own partner a reassuring nod.

“First of all, I’m from Vivienne’s second marriage, but technically I was born out of wedlock, hence me being older than Morgana. After her sham of a marriage and divorce from Uther, no offense, she married her first lover, my father.” Said Morgause, stopping to take a sip of her coffee.

“Now, about 22 years ago, it was reported that Vivienne Le Fay died in a car accident. What wasn’t reported however, was that her daughter died in the crash with her. Now that should have been suspicious to begin with, but that was what my father told me so I believed him, no questions asked. I just had no idea that he told Morgana the exact same thing.” Said Morgause with a look of anger.

"I was told that you and mum were coming to visit me at academy, while I pressume you were told that mum was bringing me home," said Morgause, looking up at Morgana.

Morgana gasped and gripped Arthur’s hand tighter.

“I did my mourning for the loss of my mother and sister and maybe it was because I was still young, I was somehow able to move on. Then everything changed five years ago.” Morgause went silent for a couple of minutes.

“What happened?” Arthur gently prompted, not being patient enough but not being totally insensitive.

“Five years ago, my Father passed away. There was a letter in his will, explaining everything that he had done,” started Morgause.

“Hang on!” Morgana interrupted with a sharp look at Morgause. “Five years ago!?

“Morgs, please, keep it down,” pleaded Arthur.

“Arthur!” Morgana snatched her hand away. “My father went mad! That’s the only reason why I came to live with you and Uther. He wasn't fit to take care of me anymore. Then he went mad and died a year later!!” yelled Morgana with tears in her eyes.

“Was living with us, that terrible in the beginning?” whispered Arthur, eyes cast down.

“Ar-Arthur, no. No. I’m sorry,” said Morgana taking Arthur’s hand again. “I don’t regret any of my time growing up with you. Even with Uther. He took me in, even though I wasn’t his. It’s my side of the family that’s so fucked up.” Morgana said, miserably.

“Quite,” agreed Morgause, mirthlessly. “Imagine my shock when I discovered that my normal, albeit sad childhood turned out to be this distorted farce of a story. I’m sorry to say that I’ve burned the letter, but I won’t lie to you about its contents”

Morgause gazed meaningfully at Morgana.

Arthur grasped Morgana’s hand a little tighter.

“The reason why father lied to you was because he found out that you weren’t really his... He didn’t want to take care of a child that wasn’t from his own blood, so he took mother's accident for the opportunity that it was.” finished Morgause.

“Fuck.” Said Morgana with an anguished voice.

“I’m so so—”

“No. It’s not that,” interrupted Morgana, “I’ve known since I was sixteen that Uther was my biological dad. We all know. We just decided, as a family, to keep it a secret.” Morgana choked back a sob.

“A secret, in honor of the father who raised her first,” Arthur seethed.

“That’s why you kept your mum’s maiden name,” mused Leon to himself.

Arthur looked at Leon and reevaluated his first impression of him. Leon Knight was more competent at his job than he initially thought and he had to respect him for not calling him out on his blatant disrespect. Even Arthur knew his behavior so far wasn’t anything but dickish.

“It just fucking hurts that my own dad didn’t want me,” said Morgana with the voice resembling a child.

“Hey, no. Fuck him. He doesn’t deserve to be called that by you. At least the going mental part isn't so far from the truth. Good fucking riddance!” said Arthur, as calmly as he could and gave Morgana a hug.

“A hug from both Pendragons today. It’s kind of nice,” Morgana murmured into Arthur’s shoulder.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is still the matter of the living situation.” broke in Leon.

“What do you mean?” asked Morgana, pulling away from Arthur.

“With Arthur’s place a crime scene and with you another potential target, it’s best if you both stayed somewhere else for the time being.” Answered Morgause.

“It’s safer for you, Morgana, to continue your life as is, but it’s still preferential if you were to stay somewhere else or with someone you can trust,” said Leon.

“If you’re okay with it, I’d like you and Mordred to stay at my house,” offered Morgause.

“You know about Mordred?” asked Morgana, surprised.

“Of course I do,” smiled Morgause, “I would very much like to meet my nephew.”

Morgana gave her a small smile.

“I can’t exactly stay with Gwen and Lance, as there isn’t any space at theirs and I guess I would much rather prefer to stay with someone than at a hotel. Arthur, do you think it’s a good idea?” Morgana said turning to her brother.

“Yes, I’d feel much better for it.” Answered Arthur, a little relieved that Morgana would be in capable hands.

“Arthur, what about you? Is there anyone you can stay with?” asked Morgause.

“Before you say anything, I have some qualifications to that statement,” grimaced Leon.

“Meaning?” asked Arthur with an unimpressed eyebrow raise at Leon.

“Meaning, do you have a place where you can stay out of sight for at least a week before you get back to work and—”

“A WEEK!?” yelled Arthur “You do know what I do for a living, yes?”

“Yes,” sighed Leon, “but your case is going to be public in less than 24 hours. You Pendragons are high-profile. You can still work and arrange whatever you need to with your P.A, but that has to be done all before you go wherever you’re going to be staying.

“NO. Absolutely not. I can’t. I have big business deals coming up that I cannot postpone,” said Arthur.

“Arthur, please,” pleaded Morgana, “it’s for your safety. Your uncle Agravaine can hold the fort for a week. Just, please.”

Arthur looked over at his sister and he knew he lost. He couldn’t say no to her especially with everything they discovered tonight. With a deep sigh, he responded.

“Fine. But I wouldn’t know where I could hide out for a week.”

Morgana’s face turned from a look of contemplative concentration to an absolute, evil smirk within a matter of seconds.

“Oh, I have the perfect somebody,” said Morgana looking like the cat that got the canary.

Arthur just let out a groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon! I think the next chapter will be more of a filler chapter, but still important to the story nonetheless! 
> 
> All your kudos and comments give me life! Cheers, lovelies!
> 
> x


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old friends reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The informational/filler chapter as mentioned! Snippets of backstory.

Uther Pendragon couldn’t give two shits when he heard people refer to him as the “Paranoid King of Old” behind his back. He always knew, deep in his gut, that it would be what saved his life one day. He just didn’t expect that an attempt on his life would come from Jonas, that lowly peon of a man.

He was truly regretful that Helen got caught in the cross-fire, but he couldn’t help but be grateful that it was her rather than him or one of his own. Although he lost Igraine all those years ago, if he lost one of his children, he knew that would be his end. His one weakness was his children’s welfare. He raised them to be tough, with minimal affection, in order to help them and fool the world into thinking that the “great Uther Pendragon” had no weaknesses. He had to protect himself in order to be able to protect his children. If only he suspected foul play when he had his heart attack five years ago. Uther found himself almost wishing he was more paranoid back then. As it were, he was under a lot more stress during that time and he thought that a heart attack was inevitable.

Now, even with the security detail, he knew he needed someone to help him out. Not a caretaker, no, he wasn’t an invalid. All Helen did for him was make sure he was fed and took his medication twice a day. He was grateful for her company, though everyone knew she was only there in case he had another heart attack. The estate was a big place and if help wasn’t called in time, he more than likely would be found dead.

Uther sat down in his office and took out his black book. Surely, there was a couple of people in there that he could trust. Flipping through the first half of the book, he found it pointless. He knew in his gut that there was no one. In a fit of anger, he threw the book across the room. Being a powerful businessman meant that there was no one he could trust in that world. Getting up with a sigh, he crossed the room to pick up the book. He gently got down on one knee to collect several detached papers and found an old note. Opening it up, Uther gained a spark of hope and reached for his phone. He dialed the number on the paper and hoped his old friend was still the owner of the number. After a couple of endless rings, the line went to voicemail.

“Hello, you have reached Dr. Gaius Wilson. Sorry I couldn’t reach the phone. Please leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you as soon as I am able. Thank you and have a good day. *Beep*”

Uther was undeterred. The number was still good so he decided to leave a message.

“Gaius, old friend, it’s Uther. I trust everything has been well for you. Please call me as soon as you hear this message. My private number is still the same. Talk to you soon.” Uther left it short and hung up the phone.

It was nearing 8 PM and although Uther had no appetite, he found himself walking to his kitchen. When he opened the fridge, he found that there were still a couple days worth of pre-packaged meals inside. Knowing that he should eat if he wanted a night cap, he took one out. Uther wasn’t incompetent, not in the slightest, but he realized he did have a problem. He never had to heat up his own food, so he was at a loss of what to do. Telling himself that he would learn another day, he switched whatever meal he first took out with a plate of sandwiches he found. Before he took a bite however, his paranoia kicked in and he found himself throwing the sandwiches in the bin.

“Oleander poisoning somehow consumed,” Uther muttered to himself. “Bugger it all! I need all the contents of this fridge replaced!”

Uther was wondering how he was going to eat because he didn’t really trust shifty, takeaway delivery people when he got a phone call.

“Uther Pendragon speaking.”

“Uther! I got your phone call. It is good to hear from you after so long,” said a warm voice.

“Gaius, old friend! How are you?” said Uther, relieved at getting a call so soon.

“I’m well, I’m well! How about yourself? What’s it been? A few decades now? I was out grocery shopping so I missed your call. I’m at the car park as we speak,” replied Gaius.

“Do you still make your potato and chicken pot pie?” asked Uther, trying not to salivate as his appetite returned with a vengeance.

“Of course, of course! The only thing I still really know how to make.” Gaius chuckled. “In fact, I was just going home to make it!”

“Is that so? Why don’t you come over to the estate and we can have tea together. I didn’t have much an appetite earlier, but the nostalgia of your old pot pie has got me hungry.” said Uther.

“Oh, why not. It will be good to catch up with you. In fact, as odd as this sounds, I was actually thinking about you and Igraine today. I’ll be over in about 20 minutes.” said Gaius.

“I’ll see you soon. Goodbye.” replied Uther, wondering what the odds were that both he and Gaius were feeling nostalgic today. Whatever the reason was, for once, Uther decided not to question it.

*

After Gaius dropped Lizzy off at Freya’s he headed for home. When he was 10 minutes away, the engine and petrol light both blinked on.

“Right, I keep forgetting about that,” Gaius muttered to himself and detoured to Alice’s Auto Shop. He hoped that his petrol would last the roughly 15 minute ride there.

As soon as he got to the shop, he saw Alice’s apprentice working in the front.

“Daegal, lad. Help an old man out and fill my car with petrol, would you?” asked Gaius.

“Of course, sir! I’ll let Alice know you’re here,” said Daegal, stepping inside. A couple minutes later, Daegal exited the garage and headed towards Gaius’ car.

“Come in to the garage, Gaius” called a warm voice.

“Alice,” said Gaius fondly as approached her wiping down another car. “Shouldn’t you be retired by now?”

“Now, now. We both now that we’re both retired but we’ll still help wherever we can. I love fixing cars as much as you love helping people,” said Alice before going in for a hug.

“Of course,” said Gaius, “now that you mention it, the engine light came on my old truck.”

“Oh, so this isn’t a social call,” teased Alice.

“Oh, stop it. I always have time for you, my dear,” said Gaius with a smile. “Daegal is just filling her up for me as we speak.”

“Okay, I’ll take a look after he’s done. He’s a good lad. I’m probably going to will this place to him when the time comes. He’s as good as my own,” said Alice with a fond look on her face.

“That’s a brilliant idea,” replied Gaius with a smile.

After Gaius had his car looked at, he passed the time catching up with Alice until he realized exactly what time it was.

“7:30 already, is it?” said Gaius. “I better get going. I have to stop by the grocers before I get home.”

“Oh, time always flies by when you're 'round. Next time, give me a ring and we’ll have a proper catch up over tea,” said Alice.

“Will do,” said Gaius as stood up from his seat. “Here’s a couple quids for Daegal as a tip.”

“Oh, you know he won’t accept that,” said Alice

“That’s why I’m leaving it with you in order to make sure he gets it. Seeing as you won’t accept payment for the engine check as well, I’ll just have to bring you something the next time I see you,” said Gaius, exiting the garage.

“I’ll hold you to it,” said Alice with a chuckle. “Until next time, then!”

“Stay safe!” Gaius shouted as he got into his car and turned on the engine. He waved once more and drove off to the grocery store.

While there, he stocked up on his basic staple of bread, beans, potatoes, and other assorted vegetables. Finding himself a bit peaky, he headed over to the butcher side and got 2 pounds of chicken.

"Pot pie it is," he declared. After using the self-service check out, he reached his car and noticed his mobile blinking with a notification of some sort through the window. He opened the boot of his car first in order to put away his groceries and then got into his car.

He always forgot to take his mobile out of the car. He really should keep it in his pocket before he gets chastised by his little sister again. Unlocking his phone, he saw that it was a voicemail and pressed to listen.

“Gaius, old friend, it’s Uther. I trust everything has been well for you. Please call me as soon as you hear this message. My private number is still the same. Talk to you soon.”

Gaius thought it could only be fate that it was Uther. He hadn’t seen Uther for about 25 years and the fact that Merlin met his son today was amusing to no end. It must be important if Uther is calling him. Deciding that his groceries could wait a little, he called Uther.

*

Uther informed the security detail that a guest was coming so could they please be discreet. He also gave them a description of Gaius so they wouldn’t have to stop him from entering the premises. He didn’t want Gaius to find out like that. No, Uther wanted to be the one to break the news and ask this huge favor of him.

25 minutes passed and Uther found himself pacing in front of the door. He couldn’t very well be irritated that an old man was running late. It was short notice as well. The best he could hope for was that Gaius would arrive soon. It wasn’t likely that whoever he was dealing with would go after Gaius, as they hadn’t been in each others lives for so long. Then, as Uther was about to start pacing again, he heard the sound of the grand doorbell ring. Smoothing out his sweater, he opened the door.

“Doctor. Gaius. Wilson.” said Uther, clapping a hand on the old man’s shoulder.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Uther,” said Gaius, going for a brief side hug. “It’s been almost 3 decades! This warrants a small hug.”

“Of course, of course. Let’s go to the kitchen.” said Uther with a chuckle.

“That hungry are you? Where’s the help?” asked Gaius, looking around.

“Fired them all several years back,” said Uther plainly.

“Why on earth did you do that?” Gaius asked, surprised.

“I couldn’t trust any of them. I gave them all a decent severance package and sent them on their way,” said Uther.

“How do you manage in this big estate?” said Gaius while sorting out the proper ingredients on the kitchen table. “Who cooks and cleans?”

“The cleaning people!” exclaimed Uther “Why didn’t I think of that before!?”

“Uther?” said Gaius, a little concerned.

“Hmm? Oh, right. All in good time. Let’s catch up over your part of our missing years while you cook, and then I’ll fill you in on mine while we eat.” replied Uther.

“Fair enough,” said Gaius, pottering around the kitchen for utensils as if he never left.

As Gaius was cooking, he shared about how he succeeded in getting his doctorate in psychology after he left Uther’s services, and how he worked as a psychologist for about 20 years after that. He told Uther that he actually retired a year back, but that he still sees old patients from time to time to check up on them.

“Ah, you switched to help the human mind after you got tired of the human body,” said Uther.

“I’m a little rusty from my physician days, but I haven’t forgotten the practice,” said Gaius with a smile, “it is a little useful after all.”

‘Too right,” agreed Uther. “What about your family? I remember you had a younger sibling?”

“Yes, you’re right! Good of you to remember, Uther.” said Gaius, pleased. “Hunith. She’s doing well. Let’s see, she had a son of her own, but after a couple of years, she and Balinor adopted an adorable baby girl that they were sponsoring from the foster care system. They’ve both grown up now. One—”

“Balinor? Why does that name sound familiar?” mused Uther, not realizing he interrupted Gaius. He didn’t realize that Gaius’ face had gone soft with that mention.

“Balinor was a good friend of Igraine’s.” answered Gaius. “You have met him before, once, long ago.”

As Uther searched through his memories, he at last remembered an incident where he was punched in the face. He had started dating Igraine Du Bois before he was officially divorced, which he may or may not have mentioned to her. Balinor was the friend that punched him in the face for hurting his friend.

“Right. Emrys. The ruffian.” said Uther, frowning with distaste. “We never did make amends after that. It didn’t really matter seeing as I never saw him again.”

“That was because he met my little sister, made an honest woman out of her, and moved to the countryside to be with her. Bless the man. He was the kindest man ever, unless you hurt someone he cared about.” answered Gaius with a meaningful look.

“What’s he doing now?” asked Uther, subtly shifting the subject.

“He passed away. He was a firefighter and he died saving someone,” said Gaius with a sad smile

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Uther

“As I was to hear about Igraine. I was abroad during the time so I didn’t get to come to the funeral, but I’m guessing you received my letter?” said Gaius, ruefully.

“Yes. In fact, I found that letter tonight after all those years. That’s how I was able to call you.” said Uther, a bit tired from all the nostalgia.

There was the ding from the oven, indicating that the pot pie was ready.

“Perfect timing,” said Gaius as he put on the oven mitts to take out their meal.

“I suppose it’s my turn to share,” said Uther a bit wry.

“I do believe it is,” said Gaius, “But before you start, let’s tuck in.”

After moving to the small kitchen table, Uther proceeded to take a couple bites of his pie.

“Amazing how it still tastes exactly the same,” said Uther, with a pleasant smile.

“Thank you, thank you. Now, my cooking prowess aside, how have things been on your end?” asked Gaius.

“Okay. Before I talk about what’s going on presently, let me give you the briefest summary I can of what’s happened since you’ve been gone. I would prefer it if you let me say this without interruption,” said Uther with a meaningful glance at Gaius.

“Do proceed,” said Gaius.

With a deep breath, Uther began to tell Gaius of after Igraine’s passing. He became more involved in work and tried his best to give Arthur what fatherly attention he could. Then, when Arthur was 8, Morgana, the daughter of his first wife, came to live with them after she passed away in an accident. Apparently, her current husband didn’t have the mental capacity to care for her. It may have started out to be an inconvenience, but he started to care for the little girl as if she was his own. Then when Morgana got into a bad accident when she was 16, he discovered that she was actually his biological daughter. It was a shock and he was angry that Vivienne never told him about her. However, he realized that in some strange way, she did him a kindness because then he would never have gotten the time with Igraine that he did.

“To the world, she’s Morgana _Le Fay_ , the adopted darling of Uther Pendragon, because she wanted to keep her surname to honor her first family. I trust you will keep this information to yourself,” said Uther.

“Of course, Uther. And what of now? I’d rather hold my comments back until you’re finished,” answered Gaius.

“Still wise then, my friend,” answered Uther and he went to continue his story.

He mentioned how he never planned on getting remarried, but then something happened when he met Katrina Tregor. Her wit was as great as her beauty and Uther said she felt like a breath of fresh air. He never thought he was lonely until he met her. He was quite disappointed to discover that both his children didn’t like or trust her. He had even gotten into a few shouting matches with Arthur over it. In the end, he couldn’t have been more proud of Arthur for sticking to his gut instincts and for how Morgana had supported him all the way. If it wasn’t for his children, he would have been married to that manipulative troll and dead within the first year of the marriage.

“You see, her butler or P.A. or whatever he was, turned out to be her lover or partner in crime, if you will,” laughed Uther, mirthlessly. “As of tonight, he’s made about three attempts on my life.

“Gods above!” exclaimed Gaius with both of his eyebrows raised so high they seemed about to disappear under his hairline.

“It’s more than likely the heart attack I suffered five years ago, was induced. And today morning, my live-in care was murdered with poison that may have been meant for me. It wasn’t clear until he made another attempt early this evening.” said Uther, gravely.

“Right now, my only saving grace is the amounting paranoia in my head. I fired all the help a year or two after my heart attack and had Helen move in to make sure I’d have urgent assistance if something were to happen to me. She was screened three times.”

“That explains earlier. What makes you so certain it was the cleaning staff?” asked Gaius.

“I’m not, but it’s another lead. I’m going to text the DI so he can get on it,” said Uther, fishing out his phone.

“Well, whatever it is, if you need any assistance from me, please don’t hold back from asking,” said Gaius.

“I was hoping you would say that,” said Uther, giving Gaius his full attention. “It must be fate of some sort that you’re retired. It makes the favor I want to ask of you more attainable.”

Uther hated asking for favors, but he needed to do this. Before Gaius could voice his question, Uther decided to rip off the bandaid.

“I need you to come back to work for me. And before you say anything else, all this would require of you is to move back in, make sure I take my medicine, and generally help me keep myself alive.” stated Uther.

“I don’t know, Uther. That is rather a lot you’re asking,” said Gaius a little concerned.

“Please, do it for an old friend. It wouldn’t be permanent. Just until the investigation ends. I don’t trust anyone else.” said Uther, the closest he would ever get to pleading.

Gaius stared long and hard at Uther and then let out a sigh. “Alright, but let me just get things wrapped up on my end. Will you be alright until Monday?”

“Gaius, please. I’m not a child. Of course I’ll be alright. I have a security detail on me and they will continue to watch out for the place during your stay as well.” said Uther.

“Alright then. I better get going. It’s getting late,” said Gaius, standing from his seat. “Until then, use that money of yours to hire some help. I’m an old man.”

“Of course, you won’t need to clean up after me. I’ll get that handled.” said Uther, matter-of-factly.

“Good, good. I’ll see you on Monday, then. Goodnight,” said Gaius, walking out the door.

“Until, then.” Said Uther, closing the door. He felt a little better already. Now that that was taken care of, he went back to his office for a nightcap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news! The next chapter is coming along quicker!
> 
> Cheers for the comments and kudos, lovelies :)
> 
> x


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long day comes to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've finally wrapped up ONE day in this fic. 6 chapters for one day. ha ha ha :'D
> 
> BTW, for future reference, I know nothing of the business/architect world so please don't be offended if whatever bullshit I pull out of my arse is totally wrong. Enjoy!

“I suppose I should thank you for letting me spend the night at yours until whatever evil scheme of Morgana’s comes into play,” said a sullen, not very grateful, Arthur.

“Well, I haven’t got a fancy guest room so you’ll be sleeping on the couch,” said Leon trying not to roll his eyes.

“Brilliant.” said a stony Arthur.

After calling it a night at the diner, Morgana went with Morgause to pick up her son while Arthur would crash at Leon’s place for the night. Leon lived in a small studio flat, but he wasn’t embarrassed of it at all. He’d much rather spend his salary on useful things. Seeing as how he wasn’t at home much while on cases, which was all the time, the studio was a perfect fit.

When they got to the flat, Leon went over to his room to grab his spare duvet. The couch pillows he got as a gift from Ellie would have to suffice for Arthur. Leon tried to hide a snigger at the thought of the arrogant Arthur sleeping on a pillows covered in horses. For once, he was glad that Ellie made him promise not to throw it out.

“There’s some spare toothbrushes in the loo cupboard and the towel on the rack is fresh. I’ll go ahead and let you wash up first. In the meantime, I’ll go look for some clothes that might fit you for sleep.” said Leon

“Thank you.” said Arthur, woodenly.

Leon saw him shudder at the horse pillows before marching off to the bathroom. Leon’s smile was smug the whole time he was looking for some spare clothes. In the end, he found his old University sweats and a plain black shirt that was a bit tight on him.

After the both of them were settled for the night, Leon was about to drop off into sleep when he heard some rustling. Arthur seemingly couldn’t get into a comfortable position on the couch. Leon was getting annoyed, thinking that the great Arthur probably never had to sleep on a couch before, until it hit him why he was there in the first place. Letting out a sigh, he laid on his back and decided he would help Arthur go to sleep with conversation. Arthur did go through something fairly traumatic today and he found it usually helped people when they talked about it to either process or get their minds off it.

“So, do you have any idea who Morgana is thinking of?” asked Leon. The rustling stopped and it was quiet for a long couple of minutes. Just when Leon was thinking of giving up and chalking it up as a bad idea, Arthur spoke up.

“No idea. But the harpy is evil so the possibilities are endless.” replied Arthur.

“She is very intimidating, I’ll give you that,” answered Leon. Then, against his better judgment, he asked a personal question. “Where’s the father?”

“Excuse me?” said Arthur, a bit surprised at the question.

“Just asking, sorry. You don’t need to answer,” Leon quickly said.

“No, I don’t,” replied Arthur. “But seeing as how you may find out with the investigation, I’ll tell you the correct version of it.”

“I appreciate it.” said Leon

“While she was working in our Mercia branch, she got spectacularly drunk one night and got knocked up. Leave it to her to defy all convention and be adamant about being a single parent. She didn’t even remember who she slept with, but she refused to find out. If she couldn’t even remember the person she slept with, no way was he worth being the father of her child.”

“I find that I’m not surprised in the least,” answered Leon with an amused style.

“Uther wanted to go behind her back, track down who it was, and possibly kill him, but Morgana knew he would try that so she made him promise her. You know she always gets her way.” replied Arthur

“I’m beginning to see that, yes.” chuckled Leon.

“Look,” said Arthur, “I know what you’re trying to do.”

Leon stilled in his bed.

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me or not, but I really do appreciate it. Nevertheless, I’m done for the night. Goodnight.” said Arthur.

“Sure, not a problem. Goodnight.” Leon answered back. Well, it wasn’t a completely wasted effort. For that, he mentally gave himself a pat on the back and positioned himself for sleep once more.

*

After he got himself and his kids ready for bed, he realized it was just 8:30, hence his kids all sitting on the sofa, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Okay, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or—”

“HARRY POTTER!!” His kids chimed in at once.

“Of course. Why do I even bother,” said Merlin with a smile. As soon as he popped in the DVD, he went to his office to get some blueprints to work on while he watched the movie with his kids.

He was almost done sketching the building plans for a recent client of his when Percy walked over to him.

“The film is done, dad. Kay and Lizzy fell asleep on the couch,” Percy yawned.

Merlin stretched and looked at the time. It was just barely passed 11 PM.

“With good reason. It’s well past your bedtimes. Would you put the movie away and turn off the TV while I take your brother and sister to bed?” asked Merlin.

“Sure, dad.” Percy said with another yawn.

“Thank you. Then get yourself to bed. I’ll come to check up on you after.” said Merlin, getting up from the table. He picked Kay up first, waking Kilgarrah up with the movement. Walking over to Kay’s room, he tucked him into bed and kissed his forehead. When he walked out of the door, he saw Kilgarrah waiting patiently by Lizzy’s door to wait his entrance. With a shake of his head, Merlin went back to the couch.

He had to be careful with Lizzy. If he picked her up and she wound her arms around his neck, there was no way he would get her into her own bed without her waking up. Kneeling down gently by the couch, Merlin found he didn’t have to worry. Lizzy’s mouth was wide open and she was drooling. Merlin had to stifle a laugh. She definitely got her sleeping habits from him. He scooped her up and walked over to her room. When he opened the door, Kilgarrah zoomed inside and made himself comfortable while waiting for Merlin to tuck Lizzy in. Once he did, Kilgarrah placed himself snug in Lizzy’s arms. With a kiss to her forehead and a ruffle to Kilgarrah’s head, he headed for Percy’s room.

He found Percy in bed, valiantly trying not to fall asleep before he said goodnight to his dad. Once Percy laid eyes on his dad, he smiled and garbled a “night, dad” and dropped off to sleep. Merlin walked over, kissed his forehead and whispered goodnight before walking back out to where his work was.

Merlin was contemplating on whether or not to color in his designs before he went to sleep or wait until tomorrow. He should go to sleep but having taken the nap earlier, he found himself fairly awake. Just when he decided to paint, his mother’s voice chided him in his head to “try not to overwork yourself.”

“Technically, I’m awake, and I’m not tired. I’m not overworking myself. This would technically be wasting what could be a productive hour of work,” Merlin said to himself. He knew he was trying to justify himself so he wouldn't feel guilty when his mobile started to ring. “Who could be calling me at this hour?”

He realized his mobile was back in his office so he headed over there to get it. Once he reached his phone, it stopped ringing.

“Morgana? Probably to ask about how the meeting with Arthur went.” Merlin muttered. He was just going to put a reminder to call her back tomorrow when his mobile went off again.

“Morgana?” answered Merlin.

“Merlin!” said a relieved Morgana “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, no. I was actually going to do some work before I went to bed.” said Merlin.

“Oh, that’s good, though you should go to bed and not overwork yourself,” said Morgana.

“Not you too,” groaned Merlin.

“Is your mother on your case again?” asked Morgana.

“Yes, as always.” smiled Merlin. “Anyway, what’s up Morgs?”

“Can we meet tomorrow morning?” asked Morgana

“It’s Sunday. What does morning mean to you on a Sunday?” asked Merlin, a little wary.

Morgana seemed to think before answering. “Morning to me always means 8, but for you, I would say 9.”

“Is it very important?”

“Possibly the matter of life and death.” Morgana stated.

“Always so dramatic,” answered Merlin. “Fine. Just you or are you going to bring Mordred along?”

“Thanks, Merlin. I’ll be bringing Mordred along. I’ll even bring some breakfast over if you want?” Morgana said.

“No, it’s okay. It’s Waff-cake Sunday and you guys are more than welcome to join.” said Merlin.

“Oh, that’s brilliant. You’re waffle’s are amazing.” Morgana cooed.

“Cheers, Morgs. Actually, on second thought, if you have time, bring some of that amazing coffee you gave me last week.”

“Will do! See you tomorrow, then. Goodnight.” said Morgana.

“Goodnight.” said Merlin and ended the call. It appeared to be the smarter thing to go to sleep now so Merlin went with being smart for once and headed to bed.

*

Morgana was used to getting her way so she knew she wouldn’t have too much trouble with what she wanted next. She had the perfect plan for her brother to be protected and possibly loosen up a bit for the next week. She wouldn’t deny that the thought of her brother spending a week with Merlin brought her some kind of twisted joy, but she did feel a little bad for Merlin. She was going to spring this on him but she knew that, in the end, he would not be able to deny her anything.

After she left the diner with Morgause, they decided in the car to hold off until tomorrow to tell Mordred who she really was. Then, they further decided that for the night, Morgause would just spend the night at Morgana’s house and the next day, they could begin the move to Morgause’s house.

After picking up Mordred with the promise to Gwen that she would explain everything really soon, they drove off to Morgana’s.

“Mum, where’s your car and who’s this lady?” asked Mordred.

“I left the car at Grandpa’s house and this here is a really old friend of mine. We’ll get better acquainted tomorrow. She’s going to spend the night in the guest room because we have a lot to talk about.”

Morgause gave Mordred a smile from her rearview mirror. “Hello, Mordred. I’m Morgause.”

“Nice to meet you.” said Mordred politely, meeting her gaze in the mirror then withdrew to himself and stared out the window.

“Don’t mind him. He doesn’t do well with strangers at first. That and he’s in a stranger’s car. He’ll warm up to you eventually.” said Morgana softly.

“I don’t mind,” Morgause said with a tired smile. “We’re here.”

“Mordred, I want to you get ready for bed before you go and read in your room.” said Morgana getting out of the car and making her way to the boot to get Mordred's cello out.

“Okay, mum” replied Mordred, racing to the door and using his own key to get in and rush to his room.

Morgana just smiled fondly at her son and walked up to the door with Morgause. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you,” said Morgause.

“Please, have a seat on the couch, I’ll be there in minute. Do you want some spare clothes to change into?” asked Morgana.

“I’ve got some in the car. I’ll go get them later, but thank you.” smiled Morgause. “You’re handling this all pretty well for finding out mere hours ago.”

“Please, if Arthur wasn’t there with how it was sprung up on me tonight, I would have been a mess. Let me go get that tea before we go any further into talking about this,” said Morgana.

“Of course.”

Morgana then went into the kitchen to turn the kettle on. She took out two mugs and two bags of tea. Once that was done, she went up the stairs into Mordred’s room.

“Even though it’s a Saturday, I want you asleep by 11, Mordred.” said Morgana, sitting on the side of his bed.

“Yes, mum. Are you going to tell me about the lady tomorrow?” asked Mordred.

“Of course.” Morgana couldn’t help smile at that. Her son was precocious as ever. She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight, love.”

“Night, mum,” said Mordred, getting back to his book.

Heading down the stairs, she found Morgause at the kitchen, making both their teas.

“Do you still take yours with milk and sugar?” asked Morgause

“Yes. Same as I did when we were kids,” Morgana answered with a smile. “I cannot believe you’re real.”

“You’ll forgive me for not finding you right away,” said Morgause before Morgana could say anything else. “It’s not that I didn’t want to, but I needed time.”

Morgana’s smile fell away and she began to compose her thoughts. “I understand. Everyone copes in different ways. And it’s not like you only found out about me, you also found out that dad—I mean Cedric, really was out of his fucking mind.” Morgana said with a calm sort of ease.

Morgause gave a wry smile at that.

“If it’s all the same, I think we should turn in for the night. As much as I want to catch up, I don’t know if I’ve fully absorbed what’s happened today,” said Morgana.

“That’s fine, we have plenty of time to catch up now. We can take our time,” said Morgause with a genuine smile. “You and Mordred can pack up tomorrow after breakfast and then we’ll head over to my house and get ourselves situated for lunch.”

“Actually, let’s push that to lunch and then dinner,” said Morgana, pulling out her phone.

“Do you have something in the morning?” asked Morgause.

“Not yet, but I will.” said Morgana, putting her phone to her ear. After a minute, she hung up but before she tried again, she turned to say goodnight. “Mordred will be coming with me. I’ll see you in the morning before we leave. Sleep well, Morgause.”

Morgause took that as her cue to leave. “Goodnight, sister.” she said, walking away to the door elaborately decorated with the word “Guest” on it.

Morgana chuckled at the door. It was a gift from Sefa, Gwen’s daughter, and she didn’t have the heart to throw it away. Sure it was tacky, but she loved it.

“Please pick up,” Morgana muttered to herself trying her phone again.

“Morgana?” answered Merlin

“Merlin!” said a relieved Morgana. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a blast editing those pillows with my abysmal ps/paint/general editing skills. The horse pictures aren't mine, but what was helpfully provided for me through google images. I make no profit out of it, it's just for shits and giggles.
> 
> Fun stuff to happen in the next chapter! Cheers for your comments and kudos! I don't deserve them, but they give me joy :')
> 
> x


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lasting impression made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for an earlier update! Enjoy! :)

For once, Merlin found himself waking up early on his own. It was just past 7:30 and he felt refreshed. He made a mental note to always sleep earlier, although he knew he’d ignore it in favor of work. Letting himself stretch while sitting up in bed, the small pitter patter of feet was the only warning he got before the assault that was Kilgarrah. He pounced on his chest, knocking him back to the bed and before he could let out a breath, Lizzy landed on top of the both of them.

“WAFF-CAKE SUNDAY, DADDY!” Lizzy shouted with glee. Then they were joined by Kay running in and jumping up and down on the bed.

“WAFF-CAKE SUNDAY!” cheered Kay.

As Merlin absentmindedly petted Kilgarrah’s thick coat, he ruffled Lizzy’s hair and scooted them next to his side. Then he saw his eldest trudge in and face-plant on the bed. A muffled “Waff-cake Sunday” could be heard.

Merlin couldn’t stop the bark of laughter he let out, his eyes crinkling into a bright smile.

“Right. Waff-cake Sunday, kids. Oh, by the way, Morgana and Mordred are coming over to join us,” said Merlin, almost forgetting.

“Aunt Gana!?” squealed Lizzy. Morgana always spoiled her with anything she wanted so naturally she was a favorite.

“Yes, sweetie. Now all of you go wash up. Dad’s going to take a quick shower before they get here at 9,” said Merlin, getting out of bed. Then as he reached for his phone, he decided to text Morgana to see if Mordred would actually like to participate in making some waff-cakes. Mordred was quite an intense kid, but he got along with his lot wonderfully and Merlin was quite chuffed at that.

As he ushered his kids outside and turned on the T.V. to Lizzy’s favorite, the food channel, he got a text back.

**Morgana** : _Thanks! He’d love to join. In fact, we both would! Appreciate it, M :)_

Merlin thought that Morgana must be in a good mood if she’s using smiley faces. With a “Sure thing, Morgs!” sent as a reply, Merlin went back to his room to take a quick shower.

*

Arthur woke up with a crick in his neck. He felt it was an omen for the start of a bad day that would last the entire week that he had to be holed away somewhere. Getting up from his position on the sofa, he’d forgotten for a moment that the pillow he was using had a bunch of horses on it and had to bite down on a yell of surprise. It wasn’t just any ole horse pattern though, it was a pattern of close up, feral looking horses. He decided he needed to reevaluate Leon again because who in their right mind would own such a thing?

“It was a gift from a colleague that I’m not allowed to get rid of on the pain of death. Believe me, I’ve tried.” said Leon as if reading his mind.

“The pillow or the colleague,” muttered Arthur.

Leon sat on the armchair to Arthur’s right and placed two mugs of coffee on the table. “Any word from Morgana, yet?"

Arthur reached for his mobile on the other side of the table and saw that he had a text. “Yes. I’m supposed to meet her at this address at 10:30.”

Arthur had a weird sense that the address seemed a little familiar, but ignored it in favor of quickly typing it into his maps app and found that it would take 20 minutes to get there. It was just passed 9. He supposed he could take a quick shower and then catch a cab there.

“I’ve got to head out in about half an hour to start investigating a new lead. I got a text from your father last night telling me to check out the ‘cleaning people’. I don’t suppose you know the services he used?” asked Leon, looking a little hopeful.

“I don’t, but Morgana should,” replied Arthur, looking a bit thoughtful. “How about this. You can give me a lift to where Morgana wants me to meet her and you can speak with her in person.”

“Sounds good to me. Means I can review all my files and have my second coffee in peace.” remarked Leon.

“Do you mind if I take a shower? I don’t need any more clothes though. What I wore yesterday is fine enough.”

“Sure. A clean towel is already on the rack for you. We’ll leave just passed 10,” said Leon, looking down at his watch.

“Thank you.” said Arthur as he got up to walk to the bathroom.

*

“No bloody, fucking way!” retorted Merlin.

The morning had been going so well. Merlin and his kids were just about finished pulling out all the utensils, bowls, and ingredients they would need when the doorbell rang.

“Okay, kids, that’s most likely Morgana and Mordred. I’ll be right back.” Normally, Merlin would just be able to tell from the monitor by the door just exactly who was in front of his doorstep, but a fuse shorted a couple days ago and Lucan promised to fix it on Monday.

As soon as he opened the door, the beautiful aroma of coffee assaulted his nose. “Morgana, you are an angel.”

“Hullo, Uncle Merlin,” said a quiet Mordred with a shy smile.

“Mordy, Mordy Mordred!” sang out Merlin, lightly ruffling Mordred’s hair.

Both Morgana and Mordred gave Merlin an amused smile.

“Sorry, I’ve had 2 cups of coffee and one of tea. I need to be able to keep up with you kids for Waff-cake Sunday. As this is the first time you’re participating, instead of just eating the end results, I decided I needed the extra kick!” said Merlin with an almost manic smile.

“Maybe I shouldn’t give you this just yet,” said Morgana pulling the coffee back.

“Don’t you dare, Morgana!” said Merlin, already snatching up the thermos. “I’ll drink it in a hour if it makes you feel better.”

“Much.” said Morgana, shutting the door behind her. While she took off her coat to hang in the closet by the door, Mordred handed her his coat and went to the kitchen.

“Auntie Gana!!!!!” said Lizzy as soon as she saw Morgana. She ran over to her, her little glasses bouncing on her face.

“Lizzy, sweetheart!” said Morgana, picking her up. “How are you?” she cooed.

“No running, Lizzy,” said Merlin exasperatedly. He went ignored.

“I’m great! I’m so glad you’re here! Now we can finally start!!” said Lizzy excitedly.

As they headed to the kitchen, Merlin handed both Morgana and Mordred an apron and put on his own.

“Okay, everyone grab a bowl and a whisk,” said Merlin, grabbing his own. “Let Waff-Cake Sunday officially begin!”

The baking started off innocently enough with everyone getting the proper ingredients into their bowls. However, once Mordred secretly slipped in a couple raisins into Kay’s “chocolate chip only” waff-cake batter, all hell broke lose. Mordred and Percy were in cahoots while Kay joined forces with Merlin and Lizzy, Morgana joining either side whenever she felt like it. In the end, everyone had a bit of flour on them and they ended up with some interesting waffles and pancakes all around. All in all, it was a great morning.

Merlin went over to the sink with all the messy batter bowls to dunk them in warm water for a bit. He glanced over to the dining room table where the curtains were pulled open across the glass-panelled wall. The sun was shining on his little family. If someone told Merlin that Morgana Le Fay would become one of his best friends, he would have laughed in their face. Now, he couldn’t life without her or Mordred. She was really there for him during his divorce and countless other times. Merlin made a mental note to send Gwen some flowers again to thank her for introducing them, as he always did when he was feeling unusually emotional.

As he started walking back to the table, the doorbell rang. Merlin wasn’t expecting anyone but then he figured it would be the package he was waiting for with new paint material. He turned for the door, missing Morgana standing up to tell the kids to behave and heading to the door as well.

“Wow, you guys sure do deliver fast!, I only ordered— you!” said Merlin. He opened the door to find none other than Arthur Pendragon standing before him with the same expression of shock.

*

“That’s the house right there,” said Arthur, confirming with the map on his mobile.

“Okay, why don’t you go on in first, I have to make a quick call,” said Leon.

“Sure.” said Arthur and got out of the car. The house was a bit beautiful and Arthur took a moment to appreciate it. Walking up the sand filled walkway, he thought the house would look gorgeous on an actual beach. Whoever designed the house was creative, that was for certain. Arthur got to the front door and rang the bell once.

“Wow, you guys sure do deliver fast!, I only ordered— you!” said a familiar voice.

“You!” repeated Arthur. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, seeing as this is my house!” said Merlin, cooly.

Arthur then realized why the address was so familiar. He was supposed to come over and apologize to Merlin for putting his foot in it so badly just yesterday. Arthur grimaced.

“Ah, Arthur! Glad you could join us,” said Morgana, smoothly.

Merlin glanced over to Morgana with a look of betrayal before he realized that he hadn’t actually told her what happened yesterday.

“Merlin?” said another voice walking up to the door.

“Leon! What are you doing here?” said Merlin with a smile.

Arthur caught himself scowling, but quickly schooled his features before anyone could notice. He didn’t know why he was scowling in the first place. What he wanted to know was how the hell Merlin knew Leon. He would not have been surprised if Leon had to help Merlin get out of some sort of trouble. He seemed the type to attract it wherever he went.

“I didn’t know you lived here. I’m working on a case with these two,” said Leon motioning to Arthur and Morgana.

“How do you know Merlin, Leon?” asked a bemused Morgana.

“My brother-in-law, Lucan, works at the Met as well. I’ve only just met Leon a couple months ago, though. You know me, don’t get out as much,” responded Merlin. “Anyway, come in! We have a bunch of waff-cakes leftover. But if any of the kids offer you a mystery flavor one, take at your own risk.”

Arthur realized he was just staring at Merlin speak. Even though he was covered in flour and wearing a silly apron, he was relaxed in his own home and looked a little beautiful when he smiled. Then he proceeded to muck it all up again.

“What the hell is a waff-cake?” asked Arthur in what he hoped wasn’t a sneer.

Merlin’s smile dropped at that and Arthur could tell he was trying to keep calm.

“It’s a waffle pancake. Though we have both waffles and pancakes separately as well. It’s a first Sunday of the month tradition I have with my kids. Something I don’t expect you to understand,” said Merlin cooly.

Arthur slightly winced at that and saw Morgana glare at him as Merlin walked away, further into the house.

“Behave, Arthur. The threat still stands. Gap. Year.” whispered Morgana, turning to join Merlin.

Arthur turned around at the sound of a whistle. Leon was trying not to chuckle.

“Merlin is one of the nicest blokes I’ve met. I wonder what you did to make him act like that.” said Leon

“Oh, piss off and get inside,” said Arthur who was absolutely not pouting.

Once inside the house, Arthur realized that it was probably Merlin who designed this house, inside and out. It was a mix of what he assumed to be a kid’s dream house, with that of an adult’s. How he got the two to mesh so well, he didn’t know. He walked over to the glass wall that showcased the garden in the back. It was a bit magical. He also then realized that Merlin really didn’t need the job, although it could help with little luxuries.

Arthur then turned his head to the dining room table, ladled with food and caught his nephew, Mordred, smiling. He followed his gaze to find that it was Merlin he was smiling at. Of course his asocial nephew would like Merlin. Arthur was trying to hide another scowl when something slinked between his legs.

Arthur let out a shout of surprise, especially after seeing that it was a huge mass of fur that rubbed against his legs before darting under the kitchen table.

“What the fuck was that!?” said Arthur looking scandalized.

“Arthur! Language! There are children present!” Morgana stood up and chastised.

He saw a little boy sniggering and whispering something to Merlin.

“That’s right, Kay. Just because he’s a guest, doesn’t mean he’s exempt,” said Merlin standing up. Arthur watched Merlin walk over to the shelf behind the table and take out a large jar. “Go ahead, Kay. You can collect.”

The kid grinned and got out of his seat, took the jar, and walked over to Arthur.

“That’s one quid for the swear jar, sir.”

Arthur was a bit speechless, but found himself going through the motions of looking for a quid in his pocket. He hardly carried change around so it was odd that he actually found one.

“Umm, here. Sorry about that,” mumbled Arthur.

“It’s okay. This jar goes to our holiday fund and seeing how most of it is from Da—”

“Alright, that’s enough Kay,” said Merlin scooping his son up with a hand to his mouth and dropping him back off on his seat at the table.

Arthur found himself smiling a little at that. Then he felt a tugging at his pants and warily looked down, hoping it wasn’t whatever that creature was again.

He was met by the eyes of a little girl with messy brown hair and a big smile.

“Sunshine man, would you please clean my magic goggles?”

Arthur looked at the glasses the little girl was holding in the air and realized exactly whom he was talking to. He glanced back at Merlin who was staring at him with a challenging gaze. Needless to say, he didn’t hesitate to kneel down to the girl’s level and pull out his shirt to clean her glasses.

“And who might you be?” Arthur awkwardly asked.

“My name is Eli-E-Lizabeth, but everyone calls me Lizzy,” she responded with a bright smile. “And what’s your actual, real name? I can’t keep saying sunshine man. It’s too much even though it matches you.”

Arthur sort of wanted to punch himself at this point for unwittingly insulting this little girl. Placing her glasses on her face, he responded with a sort of smile of his own. “My name is Arthur. Nice to meet you, Elizabeth,” said Arthur holding out a hand.

Lizzy started giggling at the use of her full name and shook Arthur’s hand while petting his head with her other hand. “Daddy, he’s so cute! Can we keep him?”

Merlin choked on his coffee. Arthur knew he might be blushing a little at the comment, but he couldn’t help but want to see Merlin’s reaction. He was flushed from choking on the coffee, but he was staring at him with a new look of appraisal.

“Now, Lizzy, people are not pets. You can’t keep them. And besides, Kilgarrah would get jealous. He might try and scratch his eyes out,” said Merlin, too casually.

Arthur blanched at that, but was suddenly engulfed in a hug, tiny arms circling around his neck.

“Don’t be silly, daddy, you know Kili doesn’t have nails,” giggled Lizzy. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” said Lizzy only for Arthur to hear.

Arthur didn’t know what to do. He didn’t hug people and he’s almost certain he never hugged a child before. He carefully placed one hand at the center of Lizzy’s back and used his other to pat her a couple times before letting go.

Preoccupied in the strange encounter, Arthur failed to see the wicked gleam in Morgana’s eyes.

“Arthur, why don’t you come join us at the table and have some breakfast,” said Morgana.

Arthur looked at his sister and nodded his head. Walking over, He sat down next to Morgana. He gave Leon a grateful smile when he handed over a cup of coffee.

“Auntie Gana, so which one is your boyfriend?” asked Lizzy, sitting back down in her seat.

Arthur proceeded to choke on his coffee.

“Oh, Lizzy, sweetie. Do you remember I told you that I had a baby brother? Well, that’s him. Arthur.”

“But Arthur isn’t a baby,” said Lizzy, confused.

“Thank you, Elizabeth.” said Arthur with a glare at Morgana.

“Your welcome? Then is Lion your boyfriend?” Lizzy asked, staring back and forth between Leon and Morgana.

“No, honey. _Le_ on is a friend of Uncle Lucan’s. He’s a detective,” said Merlin with a smile.

“Ohhhhh. Lee-on. So, Lee-on, have you ever shot anyone?” asked Lizzy with wide eyes.

This time Leon choked on his coffee.

“Okay, Perce and Mordred, please take Kay and Lizzy out to the garden while the grownups talk, please,” interrupted Merlin before things could get more awkward.

“But, dad, I want to hear the answer!” whined Kay.

“Maybe next time Leon can tell you exciting stories, but you guys have only met him today, so we’ll let him be better prepared.” said Merlin

“Fineee,” said Kay, getting off his seat. “Come on, Lizzy, let’s go. Kilgarrah’s already at the door.”

“Alright. Let’s go!” said Lizzy and to Arthur’s surprise, she walked up next to Mordred, took his hand and started pulling him towards the door. Mordred smiled and went along willingly.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Merlin, I’ll watch her,” said Mordred before slipping out the door, Percy behind him.

“He and Percy find themselves to be her protector.” Morgana answered Arthur’s unspoken question.

“Hang on, since when did you become ‘Aunt Gana’ and he ‘Uncle Merlin’?” Arthur asked, perplexed. “I mean, if you’re all that close, how come I’m just meeting him now?” said Arthur, jerking his hand to motion at Merlin.

“He’s right here, you know.” said Merlin, with a frown.

“You both were too busy and I gave up after the first two years. I figured you both would meet eventually. Didn’t realize so much time had passed since.” said Morgana.

“As much as I love your visits, why did you want to meet me today, Morgana?” asked Merlin, warily.

“Merlin, I need to ask you a huge favor.” said Morgana with calm.

Arthur knew where this was going, but he held his breath, hoping to be proved wrong for once.

“And that would be?” asked Merlin.

“I need you to let Arthur hole up here for a week.” said Morgana flat out.

It was quiet for a long moment until Merlin started to laugh.

“Okay, very funny. Now I know you’re going to ask something big if you have to joke about it first,” said Merlin.

“I’m not joking, Merlin. And I meant exactly what I said. I need you to let Arthur stay here for a week, literally holed up in here like he’s under house arrest.” said Morgana, very seriously.

“No bloody, fucking way!” retorted Merlin.

“Swearrrr jarrrrrrrrrr!” bellowed Kay from the screen door.

“Kay, go play with the others.” Merlin chided, but got up with a scowl to put a quid in the jar. However, he didn’t go back to the table, but plopped himself on the couch in the sitting room.

“Morgana, I know you’re trying to help, but why are you doing this?” asked Arthur. “We barely know each other and we hardly get along.”

“Hush, Arthur. I saw you hug Lizzy today and that is affirmation enough that I’m making the right choice. Just let me talk to him,” said Morgana, “and that isn’t exactly a no from you.”

“It’s strategically a solid plan, that’s all. We are not in the same circle of people so no one would expect to find me here,” said Arthur, defending himself.

“Sure, whatever you say, baby brother,” smirked Morgana.

Arthur just scowled as Morgana went over to the couch to talk to Merlin. He had to question why he wasn’t adamantly refusing to stay at Merlin’s place for the week. Firstly, they didn’t get along. Secondly, he didn’t do children. Thirdly, as Arthur was thinking of a third reason, he realized that this would be the perfect opportunity for him to capitalize on what otherwise would be a waste of time. He could talk business with Merlin and get him to design his building after all. As Arthur finished justifying his reasons, he glanced at the glass wall and saw Lizzy gleefully placing flower crowns on all the boys.

“Leon, you have to help me convince Morgana that this is a bad idea. Merlin has kids and this places them in a precarious situation,” said Arthur.

Leon was silent for a couple minutes, probably thinking about the situation. Then he answered, “I won’t lie, you’re right on both sides. This is a strategically sound plan, but it may be dangerous for the kids. I guess we should see what Merlin says first. I have no doubt that Morgana is telling him the whole story, regardless of my warning of not to tell anyone.”

“Then this should be easy. Merlin definitely won’t put his kids in any danger,” said Arthur standing up.

As he and Leon walked around the table, there was a loud pitter patter of feet. As Arthur looked up to see Lizzy running barefoot towards him, several flower crowns in hand, several things happened at once. Lizzy slipped on the mud she was tracking in the house, causing her to slide in an alarming speed towards the glass wall, head first. Arthur could faintly hear horrified gasps, but he didn’t pay attention to that as he acted on impulse and dove to catch Lizzy.

He caught her just in time, but there was no time to save himself from the impact of his head to the wall. The last thing he remembered was two little hands clenching tightly to his shirt before everything went black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wee bit of a cliffhanger for you lot B)
> 
> See you next week! 
> 
> x


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unspoken truce established with a little banter and a couple of smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up with little one liners for chapter summaries is bloody difficult sometimes. I just wanted to leave it with "And Merthur is born" HA HA and other one liners I'm saving for future chapters. I mean it's not surprising at all. I suck with titles and coming up with these little summaries is in the same family as making titles. Okay, end mini rant. 
> 
> A bit of a longer chapter :)

“Merlin, please listen to what I have to say before you completely make up your mind,” said Morgana.

Merlin wouldn’t deny her that much so he curtly nodded his head for her to continue. He didn’t know what he expected to hear, but it certainly wasn’t a story getting more and more incredulous after every sentence.

“You know I wouldn’t ask if I could help it. And before you say anything else, I don’t believe your kids would be in any danger. If I thought there was even the slightest risk, I wouldn’t have bothered to ask you.” Morgana was staring at him with that look. The look that always made him cave.

Merlin found himself sinking further and further into the couch. He heard the back screen door slide open and glanced up to see Lizzy running with barefeet tracking mud all over the place. Before Merlin could let out an exasperated warning not to run, he saw her slip and slide towards the glass.

Merlin sharply inhaled as everything seemed to turn into slow motion. He could feel Morgana’s nails dig into his arms, but he sat frozen to the spot knowing there wasn’t anything he could do to save his daughter. As Merlin was staring with mounting horror, he saw Arthur dive to catch his daughter and then promptly crash into the glass himself.

Merlin stood up in an instant, and finding that he could move again, rushed over to Lizzy. She was clutching onto Arthur and trembling.

“Lizzy, sweetie? Are you okay?” asked Merlin with a shaky voice, checking over his daughter and removing her glasses.

Morgana was on his other side checking on Arthur. She swept back his hair with a concerned look.

“Sweetie, you need to let go of Arthur,” said Merlin, gently. As if saying his name was the key to break her out of her trance, Lizzy snapped open her eyes. Letting go of Arthur’s chest, she started to frantically press above his heart.

“Lizzy, stop it. What are you doing?” Merlin said, slightly alarmed.

“I saw it on telly, daddy! It’s supposed to help! Why isn’t it— oh! Daddy! Look, I did it! I did it!” said a relieved Lizzy, still pressing on Arthur’s chest.

Arthur groaned before his eyes fluttered open.

“Okay, that’s enough now, Lizzy,” said Merlin, “you need to give him some breathing room. Come with me to the couch so I can check you over while Auntie Gana helps her brother.”

With trembling lips, Lizzy placed a small kiss on Arthur’s forehead whispering, “There. Now I’ll know you’ll get better.”

As soon as Merlin scooped Lizzy up and placed her on the couch, he placed her glasses behind him on the table and started to kneel back to check his daughter again. Before he could go any further, she doubled her grasp around his neck and started to cry.

“I’m s-so sorry, daddy! It’s my fault Ar-Arthur almost d-DIED!” wailed Lizzy. “I’ll never ev-ever run a-again!”

Holding on to his daughter equally as tight, Merlin did his best to console her without breaking down himself. “It’s alright, Lizzy. You’re okay now. Arthur’s okay. See? He’s getting up now. Why don’t you scoot on over so he can sit next to you?”

Lizzy immediately let go to make space. Once Arthur plopped onto the couch, Lizzy wrapped her tiny arms around him and buried her face into his side.

“Li—”

“It’s okay,” said Arthur dropping his head back on the couch.

“Oi, don’t fall asleep!” said Merlin, worriedly. “You might be concussed.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, but winced at the pain.

“Merlin is right, you know. I’ve seen cases where people got concussed from a lot less than what you just went through,” said Leon.

Merlin took out his phone to call his Uncle Gaius. Luckily, he picked up pretty quickly.

“Uncle Gaius? Are you, by any chance, in the area?” asked Merlin.

“Merlin! Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I was just leaving the office. What can I do for you, my boy?” asked Gaius.

“Remember how I told you about Arthur Pra-I mean Pendragon?” said Merlin, glancing back at Arthur. Arthur had one, unamused eye open, staring at Merlin.

“Yes, of course, it was only yesterday. I’m not that old,” laughed Gaius.

“Well, there is a chance he may be concussed so can you come over to my house and check him out?” said Merlin in a rush.

“What?!”

Merlin winced. “I’ll explain everything when you get here.”

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes. Just make sure—”

“Yes, Uncle Gaius, I know. Make sure he doesn’t go to sleep,” said Merlin, dutifully.

“The trouble you get into,” sighed Gaius.

“It wasn’t my fault!” said Merlin indignantly. He heard a chuckle and he turned around to see Arthur, eyes closed, with a slightly pained smile on his face.

“As I’m sure. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” said Gaius and hung up.

“Oi, why are you laughing and I said no falling asleep!” said Merlin.

“You know your mobile volume is really loud. With those ears, you’d think you could hear better than most people. I’m sure everyone could hear what your uncle was saying. I was merely agreeing with him about you and trouble,” said Arthur, still with his eyes closed.

“What are you, five? You’re so lucky that you may be concussed and you saved my daughter from harm,” said Merlin, trying to tamp down his rising blush. Really though, no one made fun of his ears anymore.

“It’s okay, though. I like your ears. It’s not quite Dumbo-status, but I don’t know... A bit like a fairy or an elf. If it was pointy, that is,” said Arthur a bit airily.

“Okay, I think that’s confirmation that he’s concussed. I may not really know Arthur, but I’m pretty certain he wouldn’t say that,” said Leon, trying not to laugh.

Merlin was gaping. He then shut his mouth and tried to find his words. “Ermm where did Morgana go?”

“Right here. I made sure the other boys were alright and put them all in Percy’s room. I told them they could come out in a little while and then went to get an ice pack,” said Morgana, walking towards Arthur. She gave him an amused once-over and a squeeze on the shoulder before planting the pack on Arthur’s head and moving to sit on Lizzy’s other side. Arthur grunted at the impact.

Lizzy was still wrapped around Arthur, but she was fast asleep. The scare must have really exhausted her. Merlin came and sat on the table in front of Arthur. Arthur peeked an eye open. It was funny how that one little look could clearly convey a disdainful, “what is it now?”

“I just wanted to thank you, Arthur. I mean it. If it wasn’t for you... No, I’m not even going to go there. Just. Thank you,” said Merlin sincerely.

“Idiot.” Arthur whispered with a smile.

As the insult was lacking in bite, Merlin found himself giving a small smile in return. Their gaze was broken when Kilgarrah promptly jumped up into Arthur’s lap in order to be closer to Lizzy. Arthur let out a small yelp.

“He really is harmless, you know? His meow is bigger than his bite. Or should it be his hiss is bigger than his claws?”

“Mer—”

“Well, seeing as he doesn’t have any claws... He was born without any. He was a sad little cat that no one wanted, so obviously I fell absolutely in love with him."

“Merlin—”

“Now he’s a bloody menace, he is, but he protects Lizzy with everything he’s got so seeing how Lizzy is so fond of you already, you don’t have to—”

“MERLIN!” yelled Arthur, exasperatedly.

Merlin quickly shut up realizing he was rambling.

“Your nervous rambling can give Gwen’s a run for its money,” muttered Arthur.

“You know Gwen? Wait, of course you do. Hang on, who says I’m nervous?” said Merlin indignantly.

“Give it up, Merls. You’re bouncing your knees, you’re starting to sweat, and your rambling,” said Morgana, casually interrupting.

“Traitor,” Merlin mumbled. “Hang on. You’re Arthur? The Arthur, aren’t you?”

“Yes…?” Arthur said with a wary look.

“Gwen’s old Arthur??” Merlin said with a manic gleam to his eyes.

Arthur proceeded to groan and shut his eyes again. Merlin cheered at his newly discovered victory.

“Oh, _Gwennie-poo_ has told me many stories of her past, like what best mates do.” Merlin practically purred in Arthur’s ear.

“She bloody promised she would never tell that to anyone!” said Arthur, appalled.

“She kept her promise for the most part. I may or may not have let that slip,” said Morgana, casually interrupting again. “You know what happens when I drink a glass too many.”

“Absolutely nothing. Alcohol would never make you talk,” scowled Arthur.

“Well, I’m definitely going to save this Arthur-torture session for later. Why? I’m a benevolent host that doesn’t make fun of the infirm,” said Merlin getting up.

“I am NOT infirm! Just a little dizzy,” complained Arthur.

“Well, if he’s not complimenting your ears anymore, he must be coming 'round,” said Leon with an amused chuckle.

“Fuck off, Leon,” said Arthur with what Merlin could swear was a hint of a blush.

“Swear jar...”

“Shut it!” whispered Percy, elbowing his brother in the side.

“Keep a tab, little man. I have a feeling I won’t be able to help myself,” grumbled Arthur.

“Okay, kids, no use hiding when we can clearly see all of you. You can come on out,” said Morgana, walking towards the boys. “See? Everyone is fine.”

“Doesn’t uncle Arthur need a doctor to check him out?” asked Mordred, walking closer. Kay simply propped himself on the floor between Arthur’s legs with the swear jar in his lap.

“Yes, my Uncle Gaius used to be a physician and he’ll be here soon. I better turn on the kettle.” said Merlin and he walked over to the kitchen.

When Merlin came back to the sitting room, he sat in the spot vacated by Morgana and tried to pry Lizzy off Arthur. As he knew it would, Lizzy’s grip held strong.

“You can leave her. It’s fine,” said Arthur. Merlin found himself being grateful that Arthur wasn’t a giant arse all around.

“Okay, thanks.” Merlin took a few breaths to calm his restlessness and he found himself sinking into the couch and subsequently blacking out.

*

“It seems I have been assigned the unofficial role of the Emrys household pillow” Arthur deadpanned. Then he heard a shutter sound.

“Oi! No photos, Morgana!” Arthur whisper-yelled.

“I can’t help it, Arthur. This is too adorable to pass on. I’m sure if Merlin didn’t pass out on you, he’d begrudgingly admit it too,” said Morgana with a fond smile.

Just then, the doorbell rang and Percy shot up from the kitchen table to get it.

“Percy, dear, you know your dad doesn’t like you opening the door,” Morgana gently chided. “Especially since the monitor isn’t working.”

“Well, dad’s kind of out of commission right now, isn’t he. That means I’m the next man of the house. And besides, I’ve got my money on it being great uncle Gaius,” said Percy. He then squared his shoulders and opened the door.

To everyone’s relief, it was Gaius. Arthur found himself respecting the eldest Emrys boy for how he was handling everything.

“Percy! Why are you answering the door? Where’s your father?’ said Gaius, giving Percy a warm hug.

“Passed out like a giant girl,” Arthur murmured. He didn’t go as unheard as he thought.

“I assume you’re the possibly concussed Arthur? I expect you not to insult my boy right in front of me. Though as far as insults go, being compared to a girl isn’t one at all,” said Gaius with an eyebrow raise so intimidating Arthur had to look away.

“Oh, I like him,” smirked Morgana.

“You must be Miss LeFay,” smiled Gaius.

“Please, call me Morgana. I feel like you’re my uncle as well, the amount Merlin talks about you. Strange how we still haven’t formally met until now,” said Morgana.

“Indeed, but now that mistake has been fixed, please tell me everything,” replied Gaius.

After Morgana told Gaius what happened, leaving out the discussion prior to the incident, Arthur realized Gaius looked a little pale. Nevertheless, he didn’t show any other signs of worry and proceeded to check Arthur over.

“Arthur is fine. Keeping him awake with the ice pack may have helped what little swelling there was go down. Either that or he is lucky to have a thick head,” said Gaius.

“Oh, Arthur has an exceptionally thick head, alright. Who knew it would save him one day?” teased Morgana.

“I resent that,” said Arthur with a glare.

“Is there something you’re not telling us?” said Leon. Arthur almost forgot he was there. He could see Gaius contemplating what to say. He seemed to make up his mind and nod his head.

“Morgana, could you help me with the children?” asked Gaius.

“Of course. Let me know what you need me to do,” said Morgana.

“I’m sorry, but I actually didn’t get your name,” said Gaius to Leon.

“Sorry, I’m DI Leon Knight. I came here with Arthur to speak to Morgana about something, but didn’t realize she knew Merlin,” said Leon

“And how do you know him?” asked Gaius

“Oh, we met through Lucan.” said Leon.

“Oh, right. Good lad. Okay then, Leon, could you carry Kay to his room? It’s the last room on the right, all the way down the hall passed the kitchen.” said Gaius, gently prying the swear jar out of Kay’s hands.

Leon nodded and proceeded to do just that. Then Gaius gently grabbed Lizzy’s hands. Knowing she would wake up anyway, he used a little force to loosen her grip. Lizzy then shook awake and looked around groggily.

“Huh, what? Gruncle Gaius?” said Lizzy.

“Yes, sweetie, it’s me. I’m going to take you to bed so you can sleep,” said Gaius. Then he looked at Morgana, motioned his head towards Percy and Mordred, and gave her a nod.

“Sweetie, Percy and Mordred will be in your room with you, okay? The grown-ups need to talk.” said Morgana.

Lizzy must not have remembered exactly what happened because she just nodded confusedly and let Gaius pick her up. As soon as Gaius picked her up, Merlin fell slightly further until he was pillowed on Arthur’s lap. Merlin then proceeded to put his legs on the couch and snuggle, pressing his face against Arthur’s stomach.

Arthur stiffened because he wasn’t used to such intimate affections, whether consciously done or not. He then heard another shutter sound.

“Fucking hell, Morgana!” whisper-yelled Arthur. Then he heard another shutter sound and looked up to see Gaius with his mobile out as well. Arthur’s jaw dropped.

“Don’t mind me, boy, this will be my personal blackmail material for Merlin. It’s only fair I get something out of this ordeal and as Morgana took the first shot...,” said Gaius, cool as you like.

Arthur was speechless. Morgana, the harpy, didn’t even bother to hide her laugh and started taking more pictures. Arthur had enough and just as he was about to shove Merlin off his lap, though why he didn’t do that before he wasn’t too sure, Gaius stopped him.

“I’d like to say a few things before you wake him up,” said Gaius staring at Arthur trying to convey the importance.

Arthur curtly nodded his head. Morgana joined Leon on the loveseat perpendicular to the couch Arthur and Merlin were on and Gaius stood up to pace slowly.

“He won’t like me saying this, but I’m not telling you everything so he can complain to me later. Merlin blacking out is just about the best thing that’s happened. I’m sure if you all weren’t here, he’d be having a full on panic attack, scaring his children further.”

“What do you mean?” asked a very concerned Morgana. “I thought he just passed out because the adrenaline of almost seeing his kid crash wore off?”

“That is part of it, yes. But, Morgana, has Merlin ever told you that Lizzy wasn’t actually born visually impaired, but that it was due to an accident when she was younger?” said Gaius

Morgana gasped, “No!” and lowered her voice and started again. “No. He didn’t tell me. I just. I just assumed…”

“It’s okay, don’t be offended by it. He doesn’t like to talk about it. At all. I made him talk to me as his Uncle and his doctor, but I knew he would never bring it up again if he could help it.” said Gaius with a sad smile.

“Wait a minute. That was it, wasn’t it. The last straw. Mithian. This was the result of negl—” Morgana clamped a hand to her mouth knowing she spoke too much.

Arthur was confused, but Gaius just sadly nodded his head.

“What’s going on?” asked Arthur. “What’s this all about neglect and who the hell’s Mithian?”

Morgana glanced at Merlin’s sleeping form with a sad smile. Arthur was getting annoyed at being left in the dark. As soon as he was about to open his mouth, Morgana looked at him with a determined stare.

“I’m only telling you so you don’t ever put your foot in your mouth about this.”

Arthur nodded for her to continue.

“When I met Merlin, he was in the process of getting a divorce. When Merlin told me the reason was because his ex, Mithian, neglected their youngest, I didn’t even want to hear anymore. I was enraged that a mother could do that and got him connected with the finest lawyers I knew. He was one of Gwen’s best friends, and within a couple meetings, I could see why. Merlin is the kindest person you’ll ever meet. As we got closer, I found out that Merlin and his wife had a strained relationship, but Merlin kept putting his best foot forward for the sake of his kids.” Morgana stopped to take a breath.

Arthur was trying to take everything in. He glanced down at Merlin and when did he start petting his hair?

“I didn’t realize that Merlin finally wanted out because an act of negligence is what caused Lizzy to be—to become— When I met the little angel, she was already the bubbly little thing she is now. I didn’t know. I just thought Mithian might be secretly prejudiced against her kid because she had a disability, which just fueled my fire to get them separated faster,” said Morgana.

“I’m afraid I’m going to stop you there. The both of you can get the full story from Merlin if he ever agrees to tell you. It’s not as completely black and white as Morgana is telling it and the accident was truly an accident,” said Gaius.

Morgana nodded and Arthur glanced at Leon. he looked a little uncomfortable that he was being privy to such knowledge, but at the same time, honored that he was allowed to hear it.

“Merlin has been through a lot of traumas in his life,” continued Gaius.

Arthur felt Merlin stiffen under his hand. But seeing as how he didn’t open his eyes, Arthur let him pretend to still be asleep.

“It’s what makes him so careful around his kids. He doesn’t let them open the front door, there’s multiple smoke detectors within every room. Three in this sitting room alone. He’s even installed a chemical detector that would warn of any toxic fumes or possibly even poisons around the house. It’s above and beyond what a normal parent would do, but it’s better safe than sorry,” said Gaius.

That brought a thoughtful look to Leon’s face.

“I know you’re awake, my boy, you can stop pretending,” said Gaius. “Body language.”

Merlin slowly rose from his position with a faint blush on his cheeks that Arthur found endearing.

Morgana then got up, planted herself in what little space there was between Merlin and Arthur and hugged Merlin.

“I don’t care what you say, you and I are going to have a long talk later.” said Morgana, not letting Merlin go just yet.

Merlin glared at his uncle, but consented to Morgana.

“I know this is terrible timing,” Leon started with a grimace, “but I really need to know if Arthur can stay here for the week? If not, we have to start making other plans, like now.”

Before Arthur could even let out a groan, Gaius interrupted him.

“Care to explain?” said Gaius with his eyebrow raised.

“There's an investigation going on. Merlin would only need to let Arthur stay here for a week. No one would know he’s here so there’s no danger to the kids. It’s just until his own place get’s an all clear,” said Morgana.

“I see,” said Gaius thoughtfully. “Merlin, you should let him stay.”

“What!?” said Merlin and Arthur at the same time.

“That’s the other thing that I failed to mention. I only held back because I didn’t think it would be relevant, but Merlin, my boy, I’m actually going to be staying with Uther. He’s asked me to be his temporary caretaker.” said Gaius.

“You know my father?” asked a shocked Arthur.

“Quite well. I used to be the Pendragon family physician before your time,” said Gaius. “I know you must be sick of hearing it, but you look very much like your mother.”

Arthur stilled at that. He'd only ever heard that once. His father had said it with teary eyes while incredibly drunk. It was never spoken of again. He felt Morgana give his hand a squeeze of support.

“No, thank you.” Arthur finally replied.

“Now, Merlin, agree to let Arthur stay so I can get going. I still have a few things to sort out and then I must pack for my stay at Uther’s estate,” said Gaius, moving slowly towards the door.

Merlin meekly nodded his head and Morgana smiled fondly at him.

“Tell the kids I’ve gone home, but that I’ll see them soon enough,” said Gaius. “No need to get up, I’ll see myself out. Get some rest, now.”

After Gaius left, Arthur snuck a glance at Merlin from behind Morgana. He was nervously chewing on his lip and Arthur felt bad that he would be intruding on his family. Arthur was about to say so himself, but seeing Morgana stroking Merlin’s hair back and trying to soothe him, stopped him short. Arthur looked down at his lap. Of course there would be something going on between the two. He’s never seen Morgana take care of another human being like that besides her own kid.

“I’ve just gotten a text from the team working at your apartment,” said Leon. “I’ll be able to pack some of your clothes for you tomorrow if they get the all clear. If not, you’ll have to buy the necessities you need.”

“Brilliant,” Arthur muttered.

“Though it wouldn’t really matter if you’re not going out for a week. You could stay in a pair of sweats all week and no one would know,” said Morgana.

“Fantastic. When does my lovely vacation begin?” said Arthur, oozing sarcasm.

“Unofficially? It started yesterday. Officially? Today. You should, but it’s no guarantee, be able to return to your flat the following Monday,” said Leon. “Now, Morgana, the only reason I’m really here is to talk to you.”

“Is it going to take long? Only, Mordred and I have to get going to pack for our stay at Morgause’s,” answered Morgana.

“Actually, that makes it a lot easier. Your father texted me last night about a possible lead, so if Morgause is there too, it would make things go faster.” said Leon.

“Alright then, let me get Mordred and we’ll get going,” said Morgana, heading towards Lizzy’s room.

“I take it that I have permission to sleep now?” asked Arthur to the room in general.

“Oh, right, yes. Let me show you to one of the guest rooms,” said Merlin, getting up.

“You’ve got more than one guest room?” asked Arthur. “Nevermind, lead the way.”

Not wanting to say the wrong thing, Arthur would save his questions for later.

“This here is my office. Head into the hallway and your room is the first on the right. The playroom and Percy’s room is just across yours. The library is at the end your right. The loo is right next to you, and there is a door through your room that leads to it as well,” said Merlin, giving Arthur a short tour of this side of the house.

“The other guest room is slightly bigger, but I realized that anyone could see through the windows from the backyard so I’ve chosen this one for you. There’s a wardrobe inside that has spare toothbrushes and clean towels for you to use. Anything else, don’t be afraid to ask,” said Merlin.

“Wow, I’m really impressed,” said Arthur looking at the guest room. Although it was clear that no one had used the room in a while, it still looked cozy and lived it. It wasn’t bad, just different.

“Umm, thank you. For letting me stay. Let me tell you now, I’m somehow prone to stick my foot in my mouth when it comes to you, so I’m going to say this once and only once. You most likely will not hear it from me again.” said Arthur, preparing to say something he normally never would.

Merlin just raised an eyebrow at him in an almost imitation of Gaius.

“I apologize for insulting, albeit unknowingly, your daughter. Also, your designs were actually amazing,” said Arthur. Seeing Merlin about to interrupt, Arthur held out his hand. Merlin shut his mouth and nodded for him to continue.

“Now, I’m positive we will argue and most likely annoy each other for the duration of my stay, but I just wanted to apologize beforehand if I say anything else to unknowingly insult you or any of your other relations. Please let me know if I do, so I won’t do so again,” finished Arthur.

Merlin quirked up the side of his mouth into a smile.

“That’s twice.” stated Merlin.

“Excuse me?” said a confused Arthur.

“You said I’d only hear it once. You just said it twice.” said Merlin with a bigger smile. Before Arthur could say anything though, Merlin stopped him.

“You’re welcome. I’d have probably let you stay from the get go because you’re Morgana’s brother. Seeing that you’re actually a decent human being who knows how to apologize, warms the cockles of my heart. Apology accepted.” said Merlin mock clasping his hands over his heart.

Arthur let out an amused chuckle. “There’s something about you, Merlin. Can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“Arthur, we’re leaving now. I’ll call you later. Get some sleep,” said Morgana coming over with Mordred.

“Feel better, uncle Arthur,” said Mordred.

“Thanks, kid.” said Arthur, ruffling Mordred’s hair.

Mordred simply gave Arthur an amused look before heading towards the door. Arthur realized it was because he never did that before. Morgana just chuckled.

“I see Merlin is rubbing off on you already,” said Morgana with a smirk.

Arthur didn’t have a comeback for that so he promptly turned around and went into his room, closing the door, but not before saying, “I’m going to sleep. Bye, Morgana.”

He could hear both her and Merlin chuckling and was thankful that the door was closed so they couldn’t see him blush. He felt like he entered the twilight zone or something. With what happened yesterday and today, seeing Morgana’s fond smile occurring so much in one sitting, him blushing more than he has in the past year in one day. Arthur then realized that he couldn’t exactly sleep naked when he was a guest, so he left the room to go ask Merlin if he had anything that would fit him.

As he turned the corner, he saw Morgana and Merlin embracing goodbye at the door. Then Mordred gave Merlin a hug too and they left. Looking at that, Arthur couldn’t help but feel a weird sense of loss for something he never had in the first place.

He walked back towards his room and decided he’d just sleep in his pants. Placing his dress shirt and trousers over the small loveseat, he peeled back the covers and got into bed. As soon as he got comfortable, he was out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why my scumbag brain decided to tackle on such a big story (it wasn't even that big to begin with but it just escalated quickly aka chapter 2 HA) for my first ever fanfic, I'll never know. Cheers for your comments and kudos as always, you're all much too kind!
> 
> Until next week
> 
> x


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin continues to surprise Arthur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I post things faster if I don't include a doodle sometimes. So that said, there won't be doodles for this chapter. Enjoy!

“It was good seeing you again, Merlin,” said Leon, “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon.”

“And you, Leon. I’m sure Lucan will be pleased as punch that I’m on good terms with his superior,” said Merlin with a smile.

“He’ll be right pleased, alright,” smiled Leon. “Here's my card. Contact me if you have any questions or if anything happens.”

“Will do,” said Merlin, pocketing the card.

“Alright then, I’m going to head on over to Morgause’s place first,” said Leon.

“Wait, she’s actually at my place right now. Let me text you the address and we can talk there. Kill two birds with one stone,” said Morgana.

“Alright, I’ll see you there, Morgana,” said Leon with a nod in her direction as he walked towards his car.

“Call me if Arthur becomes too much of a pain and I’ll come and set him straight. Though, I’m sure you’ll have no problem telling him off yourself,” said Morgana as she neared the door.

“Can’t believe this is actually happening, Morgs. What has my life become?” groused Merlin.

“More interesting,” said Morgana with a smirk.

“As if I need more interesting. I’m filled to the brim with interesting,” said Merlin.

“The lives of your kids don’t count. I meant more interesting for you,” said Morgana with a slight waggle of her eyebrows.

“Oh gods, are you really pushing your brother on me right now?” groaned Merlin.

“Oh, there’s no pushing needed. What you two have is completely natural and very entertaining to watch,” said Morgana with a chuckle.

“Says you. I see you and Leon,” remarked Merlin.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Morgana, mask of complete poise in place.

“Bullshit. I saw your appraising looks. I know the signs. You forget I know you well too, Morgana,” said Merlin with a fond smirk.

“Again, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Morgana, with an ever so slight twitch of her lips. If Merlin really didn’t know Morgana, he wouldn’t have noticed.

Merlin then pulled her into a hug to end the conversation. “Right, not in front of the kid,” he mock whispered.

“You’re incorrigible,” huffed Morgana with a smile.

“Bye, Uncle Merlin,” said Mordred, giving Merlin a hug of his own. When he pulled back, he saw Mordred’s all too knowing smile.

“Be good, Mordred,” Merlin said with a wink. “I’ll talk to you later, Morgana.

“Oh, we’ll talk, Merlin. You bet your pasty arse, we’ll talk.” With that, Morgana strutted away to the car.

Merlin was about to ask after her new car, but thought better of it. It was probably one of her company cars. She switched those around like she did her bags; she had one constant, but the rest she’d choose based on her mood.

After locking the door, he went to check on his own kids. Kay was sprawled on the bed with the duvet kicked off, Lizzy was tucked away with Kilgarrah safely nestled by her side, and Percy was reading a book.

“Come on, Percy. Let’s go back out to the living room,” Merlin whispered.

With a nod, Percy got up and followed Merlin out without taking his eyes off the book.

“So, what are you reading, kid?” asked Merlin

“Huh? Oh, something Mordred recommended,” said Percy. He was about to started reading again when he realized he had to tell his dad something.

“What is it, Percy?” asked Merlin.

“How do you do that?” wondered Percy out loud.

“I’m your dad. I know your face and your tells. So, what is it?” asked Merlin, amused.

“Oh, nothing. Just that mum called while you had your whole ‘adult talk’,” said Percy doing air quotes with his fingers.

“Oh, did she? What did she say?” asked Merlin.

“She said she was going to be back in the country in a couple weeks and asked that you call her so we can hang out,” said Percy.

“Alright, I’ll give her a call. Why don’t you go and take a nap too. I’ll wake you up when it’s time for lunch,” said Merlin.

“Okay, dad,” said Percy and shuffled off to his room.

Merlin went to his office to check his calendar. He was finishing up his current project so he wouldn’t be in between projects. It was good timing. He split with Mithian on amicable terms and they were still good friends, but he didn’t think he’d ever be entirely comfortable with Lizzy in her care alone.

“Maybe when she becomes a hormonal teenager,” muttered Merlin to himself. Other than that, he would always be with his kids when they went to visit her flat, or he just had her stay over in one of the guest rooms. After the split, Mithian had gone travelling for her photography career and never stayed in one place too long. Merlin was worried about the effects that would have on their kids, but they actually handled it pretty well. Sometimes, it got bad because they missed their mum, but other than a few cases here and there, they were generally accepting.

Merlin wasn’t really sure if Kay and Lizzy were fully aware of what a divorce meant, precocious as his kids were, but he knew Percy understood. Percy was upset for the first couple months, but with the help of Mordred, he grew to accept it. That also helped cement a permanent friendship between the two. It was a major relief for both Merlin and Morgana. Morgana especially, because Mordred didn’t really have any close friends.

Merlin headed for his office to finish up his work from the night before. He figured he could work for a solid hour or so before he got to making lunch for his family and his unfortunate guest. Merlin had to admit he was a little confused at who Arthur Pendragon really was. Had he not been a total prat at their first meeting, Merlin knew he would be nursing a little crush.

Looks aside, Arthur had saved Lizzy from harm and that was more than enough for Merlin to give him another chance. Teasing him earlier had been fun too and he could have sworn that Arthur was petting him earlier, though he would profusely deny that he kind of liked it.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he got out markers and paints to finalize his sketch.

*

Arthur woke up to something tickling his nose. He tried to brush whatever it was aside, but when that didn’t work, he finally deigned to open his eyes. He was met with the face of devilish beast and ended up rolling off the bed to avoid it.

“It’s only Kilgarrah,” said a giggling voice.

Arthur was confused to say the least until he remembered where exactly he had fallen asleep. He then promptly snatched the blanket to cover his modesty in front of the little girl before him.

“What happened to your hand? Did I do that!?” said the girl, her lips starting to quiver.

Arthur was still a little bit disoriented from crashing onto the floor, but that didn’t mean he didn’t remember the events of the last several hours.

“No, Elizabeth. I bumped my hand against a table yesterday,” said Arthur. It was technically true. No need to tell her that he almost broke a table in rage.

“Oh. You seem to get into a lot of accidents,” said Lizzy. “By the way, you can call me Lizzy. I only really get called my full name when I’m in trouble,” said Lizzy a little shyly.

“Alright, Lizzy. Now, may I ask what you’re doing here?” asked Arthur.

“Oh, right! Daddy said it was lunch time and asked me to come get you. He’d do it himself, but he didn’t finish cooking so I volunteered!” said Lizzy flashing him a big smile.

At that moment, Arthur’s stomach began to grumble. He didn’t get a chance to eat their panffles or whatever ridiculous name it was called, so all Arthur had was a bit of coffee.

“Okay, give me a moment to get dressed and I’ll come out to the dining area,” answered Arthur.

“Okie-dokes! Come on Kili, let’s go!” shouted Lizzy skipping out of the room.

Arthur wiped a hand down his face. This was going to be a trying week for him. For one, he had no idea how to act around kids, let alone have to be surrounded by them for a week, and two, he would have to work from here, short of going radio silence. He just hoped that he and Merlin continued this silent, amicable truce between them or else he might as well chance it with whoever is trying to off him in his own apartment.

Arthur put his shirt and trousers back on and walked out of the guest room. He turned to close the door and realized Lizzy stuck a piece of paper with his name on the door.

Arthur couldn’t help but smile a little at that. He supposed it would be his room for the remainder of his stay. Closing the door, he slowly walked towards the dining table looking around at his surroundings. He saw other doors similarly labelled with names and pictures that he missed earlier. Seeing that the kids were gathered at the island kitchen, he switched course and sat on the empty high chair next to Lizzy. She was working on yet another picture.

“So, what’s for lunch then?” asked Arthur.

“Mystery Pasta,” said Lizzy coloring something lazily.

“Mystery Pasta?” asked Arthur with slight trepidation.

“Yep! It’s when daddy forgets to do the shopping so he makes pasta with whatever food we have left,” said Kay, sitting diagonal to Arthur.

“Don’t worry, it’s good most of the time,” chimed in Percy.

“And the rest of the time?” Arthur asked with renewed trepidation.

“It’s amazing!!!” squealed Lizzy.

“It all depends on the color of the sauce,” nodded Kay.

“Red means amazing and green means good. Well, there is white, but white is really rare. White means that either dad really dropped the ball on food shopping, or there’s too much on his mind,” said Percy.

Arthur watched with a bit of amazement at how well these kids were synched together. They seemed mannered and generally well-behaved so Arthur found a new kind of respect for Merlin.

“It’s red!!” cheered Lizzy.

Kay threw a punch in the air and Percy let out a pleased smile.

“Alright, make way kids, the pot is hot!” said Merlin with a smile. Merlin then placed the big pot on top of the trivet in the center of the island.

“Tonight, we have a slightly spicy, seafood pasta!” said Merlin with gusto. Then he turned to look at Arthur.

“Oh, bollocks!”

“Swear jar!”

“Right, right remind me later, Kay. I forgot to ask if you’re allergic to anything. Are you, Arthur?” asked Merlin

“What? Oh, no. I’m not. I can eat just about anything,” replied Arthur. He was caught off guard by the question. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had even asked him that.

“Whew! That’s good. Well, just for the record, Percy and Lizzy cannot eat beef so there’s no beef in this house. No beef for a week for you, but we’re all a big fan of chicken. Also, Kay is allergic to chocolate, so no bribing him with any, although I expect no bribery at all will be made with any of my children,” said Merlin with a stern eyebrow raised at him.

“Of-of course not! What do you take me for, Merlin,” blustered Arthur, though he didn’t miss the wink that Kay shot his way.

“Okay, well that and.. I guess that’s it then. Alright, everyone. Tuck in,” said Merlin with a pleased smile.

Arthur helped himself to some of the pasta on the plate and took in the smell. It actually smelled really good, so he took his fork and carefully twirled a few noodles onto it. With just that alone, he could tell the pasta was well cooked. He carefully brought it to his mouth and took his first bite.

Arthur’s eyes widened and he looked up to see Merlin looking at him with a semi smug smile. Arthur didn’t really know what he was expecting, but he did not expect it to taste as amazing as Lizzy said. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

“Not bad,” said Arthur.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it!?” said Lizzy with her mouthful.

“Lizzy, what did I say about talking with your mouthful?” said Merlin, turning his brow onto his daughter.

Lizzy then took another bite of pasta and continued to chew. When Merlin continued to stare at her daughter, clearly expecting an answer, she simply pointed at her mouth, exaggerating her chewing motions and shrugged her shoulders.

“Cheeky little thing,” Merlin said with a fond shake of his head.

“Yes, it’s amazing, but don’t tell your father I said that,” Arthur whispered into Lizzy’s ear.

Still chewing her food, Lizzy simply smiled and winked at Arthur. Merlin stared at them both and narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Arthur didn’t realize he was smiling as he tucked into his pasta.

*

As Morgana got into the car, she decided to fill Mordred in on what was happening. She felt like she owed it to him to have a conversation with just the two of them.

“Mordred, love, I don’t know how much you pieced together at Merlin’s house, but let me just tell you as much as I can before you go jumping to conclusions,” started Morgana.

“Okay, mum, go ahead,” said Mordred, staring intently at her.

“So, yesterday, a bad person tried to hurt your grandpa Uther. We aren’t entirely sure why or if the person was working alone, but we’re working on that. Then, I went over to uncle Arthur’s place and there was a warning there for him. Nothing bad happened, but now we’re taking safety measures just in case,” said Morgana with a calm voice.

“Okay, that’s why uncle Arthur is staying with uncle Merlin. Why aren’t we staying over there as well?” asked Mordred.

“The thing is, because your uncle got that warning, the DI thought it best for him to hide for a week. Mind you, this is not an act of running away, but something planned in order to guess the bad guys next move. Pendragons never run away. If we were to stay with Merlin as well, it wouldn’t be a good hiding place for Arthur anymore, understand?” said Morgana, glancing at her son.

“Yes, mum. Okay, now who’s that lady at our house?” asked Mordred with disinterest.

Morgana blew a strand of hair that fell across her face. This one was going to be a lot harder to answer because she never told Mordred the story of her past. All he really knew was that Uther was his real grandfather even though the world thought differently.

“I promise to tell you the whole story one day when you’re older, but to make things short, she’s your aunt,” said Morgana without a tremble to her voice.

"Biologically?" asked Mordred, dead serious.

"Yes," said Morgana with a fond shake of her head.

“When I'm how much older?” Mordred questioned with a frown.

“When I think you’ll be ready. You trust your mum, right?” asked Morgana, hoping to avoid an intense discussion.

Mordred just stared at his mum and after a minute, nodded his head. “Yes, I do. Thank you for telling me as much.”

Morgana let out a chuckle. She knew for a fact that other eight year olds didn’t behave like that. “Of course, Mordred. I would never lie to or keep secrets from you if I can help it.”

Pulling into the driveway, she saw Leon’s car already parked on the curb. He was leaning on his car, waiting for them to exit theirs.

“Why didn’t you just wait inside?” asked Morgana as Leon walked up to them.

“I know Morgause is already inside, but it’s your home, not hers. It felt a bit rude to step inside without the host being there,” said Leon.

Morgana was a little impressed with that and saw Mordred giving him a look of appraisal.

“Okay, well let’s get inside. Mordred, dear, go to your room and pack your school things and enough clothes for 2 weeks. Oh, and no more than 3 books. You can take the netbook with a bunch of your other books downloaded into it,” said Morgana as they walked towards the front door.

“Fine, mum,” said Mordred, unlocking the door and racing upstairs to his room. She knew he prefered actuals books, but she didn’t want him taking his whole mini library with him.

“Ah, you’re back,” said Morgause. “Leon.” she said with a nod to him.

“So what’s this about a possible lead?” asked Morgana.

“Well, Uther texted me last night asking me to check into his cleaning people. When I asked Arthur about it, he told me that you had the list of companies and services that he uses,” said Leon.

“Yes, that I do, I can email you that and cross off a couple that are certain not to be involved, though I’m guessing you’ll check them out anyway,” said Morgana staring at both Leon and Morgause.

“Just a precaution,” said Leon, nodding his head.

“Of course,” said Morgana, trying to hold back a scoff. She had to remind herself that they were just doing their jobs well, not dismissing her word.

“So, I take it then that everyone has a place to stay?” asked Morgause.

“Yes. Uther called in a favor from an old friend, Gaius Wilson, who will be staying with him and Arthur will be staying with the family of Merlin Emrys,” responded Leon.

“And we’re sure they can be trusted?” questioned Morgause.

“I trust Merlin with my life and that of my son’s,” responded Morgana immediately. “Gaius is Merlin’s uncle and he used to be the Pendragon family physician, so I’d vouch for him too.”

“Good, then we don’t have to waste time with a background check,” said Morgause looking over at Leon.

“I sort of know Merlin too. Don’t know if you’ve met him, but he’s DS Lucan Everett’s brother-in-law. We were actually on our way from seeing both Merlin and Gaius. Good people,” said Leon.

“Morgause, I told Mordred that you’re his aunt, but that’s all I’m willing to tell him right now. We’ve already discussed this together so please refrain from telling him anything else,” said Morgana. “If Mordred senses any weakness from you, he’ll use it to his advantage without you even knowing.

“Of course. I understand. He is his mother’s child after all,” said Morgause with a smile.

Morgana smiled at that, knowing she was all too right.

“Right. I’m going upstairs to pack. I’ll be done in about 20 minutes,” said Morgana, already walking away and up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sort of turned out to be a filler chapter. The next update should come along sooner! Until next week!
> 
> x


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin gets a bout of first-case nerves and Arthur should learn when not to say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is sort of another filler chapter again. Good news is the next chapter should come quicker!

After lunch, Merlin put Arthur on dish duty. He may be a guest of sorts, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to pull his own weight around as well. Arthur wouldn’t be pampered in the Emrys household, not if Merlin could help it.

“Hey Perce, go make sure that Arthur actually cleans the dishes before you and Kay dry them,” said Merlin.

“Sure thing, dad,” said Perce, going over to stand next to Arthur.

“I don’t understand why you just won’t use the dishwasher. You have a perfectly working one right here,” complained Arthur.

“It’s called discipline. And who says it’s in working condition to begin with? Do you even know how to use one?” shot back Merlin.

Arthur didn’t have an answer for that so he promptly turned around and started the dishes. Merlin let out a soft chuckle and then turned to his daughter.

“Lizzy, dear, I’m going to phone your nan real quick. Stay here and finish your drawing, okay?” said Merlin.

“Okay, daddy!” said Lizzy, already gathering her paper and pens that she set aside during lunch.

Merlin then went out into the living room to make his phone call. It started dialing, but then he hung up.

“Bollocks! I keep forgetting!” muttered Merlin. Fishing out Leon’s card from earlier, he dialed the number. It was picked up on the third ring.

“DI Knight,” answered Leon.

“Uh, Hi, it’s Merlin.”

“Merlin! Is everything alright?” asked Leon with a hint of concern in his voice.

“Oh, yeah, everything is brilliant! Everyone is getting along swimmingly,” answered Merlin, not quite sure why he was babbling.

“Okay, then,” said Leon with a chuckle, “what can I help you with?”

“Well, I assume I’m not supposed to tell anyone about the case, yeah? BUT, I was wondering if that included my family as well? Only, I’m sure Morgana will tell Gwen everything, which in turn means that Lance will know everything, and well, he’s my best mate and business partner so that will be nice for me, but I was wondering if I could tell my family? I mean, my uncle Gaius already knows anyway, so it’d only be my mum and my sister,” said Merlin thinking, _gods I need to shut up_.

“That was sure a mouthful,” laughed Leon.

“Yeah, sorry,” said Merlin with a grimace.

“It’s just a bout of first-case nerves. Don’t worry about it,” said Leon with a calming voice. “You know what, I’d say it’s okay. Actually, that just gave me an idea. I need to keep a subtle watch over your area and I realize now that I can have Lucan do it. He’d probably end up telling Freya anyway so she’s in the clear. Your mum should be okay too. Just the bare minimum, though, yeah?

“Yes, yes, of course,” laughed Merlin. “Don’t know why I didn’t just ask you earlier when you were here. It’s just, I realized I needed to go food shopping and I didn’t want to leave Arthur alone with my kids. He looks a bit like a lost lamb around them.”

There was no immediate response, but he could hear muffled talking in the background.

“I forbid you to call your mum, Merlin!” commanded Morgana.

“Huh? Why?” asked Merlin, a little confused.

“Because! There is no way that Arthur is going to meet her before I do,” said Morgana.

“What do you mean? You’ve met my mum and you know she adores you,” answered Merlin.

“Video chats and phone calls does not a formal meeting make. I have yet to see her in person so you can just hold off on calling your mum,” said Morgana with finality.

“Alright, alright Morgs. I guess I’ll have to bug Freya again. I didn’t want to do that because she just watched the lot yesterday,” responded Merlin.

“No, no you know what? You have no plans for the rest of the day, right?” asked Morgana.

“No, I don’t. What are you up to?” asked Merlin.

“I’m calling a family meeting,” said Morgana.

“I have no food, Morgs,” Merlin huffed.

“Gwen and I will take care of that. Look,” Morgana paused, “I have something really important to tell you guys. I’m going to bring Mordred along as well. Set the table for 8.”

“Alright. Should we shoot for 6:30?” said Merlin, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

“Sounds good. See you later, Merls,” said Morgana and then promptly hung up the phone.

Looking down at his phone, Merlin quickly programmed Leon’s number in and decided that he would worry when the time called for it. With that set, he went back to the island table to sit next to Lizzy.

“Boys, after you’re done, come sit down for a quick second before you go off to your rooms,” said Merlin

Arthur turned around and raised an eyebrow at Merlin, seemingly conveying that he better not have meant him too when he said “boys.”

“Yes, I meant you too, Arthur,” said Merlin with a smirk.

Kay let out a giggle at that and continued drying the bowl he was holding. Arthur turned around with a scoff and continued to wash the remainder of the utensils before turning the faucet off. He grabbed a towel, dried them off, but was at a loss as to where to put them.

“Last drawer to the right, behind you,” Percy helpfully supplied.

“Right, thanks,” said Arthur, putting the utensils away and sitting on the chair next to said drawer.

Kay then opened the freezer, took something out before closing it, and sat next to Arthur.

“Here you go,” said Kay.

Merlin was about to ask Kay why he was giving Arthur an ice pack when he noticed that Arthur’s left hand had some purple bruises.

“Oh. I didn’t even realize. I wouldn’t have asked you to do the dishes if I knew,” said Merlin, feeling a little guilty.

“I’m happy to do my part. Thank you, Kay,” said Arthur.

“Sure, no problem! Okay, so what did you want to tell us, dad?” said Kay, turning his attention back to Merlin.

“Oh, nothing serious. Just that Morgana and Mordred are coming round for dinner—”

“Again?? She was just here!” remarked Arthur.

Merlin shot him a look that clearly meant not now and was glad that Arthur could take a hint.

“Yes, they are coming around again, but this time, they’re bring Gwen with them,” finished Merlin.

“Auntie Gwennie!! Yay!” cheered Lizzy. “Is Sefa coming too?”

“Not this time, sweetie, but you’ll see her at school tomorrow anyway,” replied Merlin.

“That’s true. O-kay, when are they coming?” asked Lizzy.

“They’ll be here by 6:30 so you lot are free to do whatever you want until then. You’ve all finished your homework, right?” asked Merlin.

“Didn’t have any!” yelled Lizzy and Kay

“Finished it at school,” said Percy with an accomplished look on his face.

“Great. Okay, off you go kids,” said Merlin, helping Lizzy off the island chair. When he heard three separate doors closing, he turned to look at Arthur.

“So why is my dear sister coming over yet again?” asked Arthur with a haughty drawl.

Merlin bit his lower lip, another nervous habit of his, and just told Arthur, “Morgana called a family meeting. Said there was something she needed to tell Gwen and me.”

“You’ve known my sister, what, 3 years at most, and already you’re each other’s family?” scoffed Arthur. “Of course, I understand Gwen, but you?”

“Again, you know nothing, you stupid prat! We may not have known each other all our lives, but yes, we are all each other’s family.” Merlin was trying not to raise his voice, but it was hard not too.

“What could you have possibly—”

Merlin held up his hand and stopped Arthur from saying anymore. He thought things were going rather well. For it to stop so soon...

“No. Just stop. I don’t want to argue about this. I don’t have the strength for it today. Why don’t you just ask Morgana later. I’ll be in my office if you need me, but if not, kindly, leave me alone.” said Merlin and walked away.

*

Looking back on it, Arthur will admit to being embarrassed at his outburst. It just rubbed him the wrong way when Merlin said that Morgana called a “family meeting” and that apparently meant her, Gwen, and Merlin. He couldn’t help but think where _he_ was in all of this. It didn’t help that Merlin said it in a way that made it sound like somewhat of a normal occurrance. It was childish, yes, but he thought his reaction might be excusable, looking at what he’s been through the past 24 hours.

Arthur glanced around the guest room until his eyes landed on the clock by the nightstand. It was just past 3PM. After Merlin went off into his office, Arthur skulked back to his room. The only people he’s ever let silence him with that hand motion were his father and Morgana. Normally he was the one always using it, so the fact that he shut up when Merlin used it, baffled him.

What was it about this man that knocked all of Arthur’s carefully honed reactions off kilter? Arthur contemplated on calling Morgana right off the bat and ranting at her, but thought better of it. He remembered that she was probably packing and getting ready for her stay at her sister’s.

Her sister. Half sister. He remembered hearing about her other family, once. Just the once when his father had carefully explained the situation to his eight year old self, when Morgana first came along. He was then sworn to never mentioning it again, as it would greatly distress her. To discover that she was alive this whole time must be incredibly difficult.

“Not that she’d let anyone see,” muttered Arthur. Letting out a sigh, Arthur got up from the bed and paced the room. He didn’t like being idle, especially when he had about 1,000 things going on at the office. When he got into his room, the first thing he did was shoot off a quick email to Pellinore, his P.A., telling him to cancel all meetings for the week. He then got a panicked phone call right away. Dragging his hand down his face, Arthur picked up.

“What is it, Pell?”

“Your meetings. For an entire week??” said Pellinore, voice on the verge of being shrill.

“Yes. I’ll still be working, but I won’t be able to come into the office for a week,” Arthur stated as calmly as he could.

“But, but sir!”

“My family is involved in some police matters. Officially, I'm on a business trip. I trust you to be discreet when canceling all of my appointments. I’ll send you a more detailed email when I get hold of a computer. Expect it before the night is through,” said Arthur

“I’m guessing that things aren’t too bad if you sound as calm as you are, sir,” answered Pellinore.

“Something like that,” said Arthur, not giving anything away. “We’ll speak on the phone again tomorrow.”

“Of course, sir. Goodbye.”

Arthur hung up his phone and tossed it on the bed. He liked Pellinore because he was obedient, yet not a total bootlicker. With a sigh, he laid down on the bed and tried to cool off his temper.

Now here he was, an hour later, calmed down, but getting restless. He wanted to ask Merlin if he could use a laptop, but then again, it would mean he had to apologize to Merlin. He didn’t know if his pride could take apologizing twice, no three times, in one day.

That’s how Arthur found himself knocking on Percy’s door. It was the first thing he saw when he opened his door and his decision was made. He told himself he was giving Merlin more time to cool off and this way, he could also nurse his wounded pride.

“Come in,” said a muffled voice through the door.

Arthur slowly opened the door to see Percy reading on his bed. Not really knowing what to do, he stepped further into the room. After a minute too long of silence, Arthur decided to speak up.

“Percy,” Arthur said, wincing at his slightly commanding tone.

“Hullo,” said Percy looking up from his reading with curious eyes now trained on Arthur.

“Right. I was wondering if you had the time to help me out with something,” Arthur barrelled on.

“Sure. What is it?” asked Percy, placing a bookmark in his book and setting it aside.

“Do you by any chance have a computer or a family computer that I can use or will I have to ask your father?” asked Arthur with a glimmer of hope.

“Oh, we have a computer room. You can use the guest one,” said Percy, simply. “Follow me!”

Instead of going out of his room, Percy opened another door, which Arthur thought was a closet, and stepped through. Curious, Arthur followed through.

“This is the playroom. The computer room is right through here,” said Percy opening another door on the wall adjacent to that which they just came through.

“Computer room, huh,” said Arthur, looking around the small room that had four separate computers inside.

“How does he afford all of this?” Arthur wondered aloud.

“Oh, dad designed something for free for some man a couple years ago and this is what he gave us instead. Dad said no, but the man wouldn’t budge. So now, we each have our own computers with a guest computer because dad has special computers for his own work,” answered Percy.

“Huh. I see. I guess that answers that. Which one is the guest one?” asked Arthur.

“Oh, well, the yellow one is Lizzy’s, the green one is Kay’s, the grey one is mine, and the red one there, is for guests. Let me create your profile,” said Percy, sitting down.

“I’m sure that isn’t necessary,” said Arthur.

“It’s part of how to use the computer,” said Percy, turning the computer on.

“Even though I’ll only be here a week?” asked Arthur.

“A whole week? Wow, we haven’t had a guest stay that long before that wasn’t family,” said Percy.

“Your father hasn’t said anything yet, has he? Shite, I mean crap! No, bloody hell,” muttered Arthur.

“It’s okay,” giggled Percy, “Kay is the only one who really polices the swear jar. I don’t mind, but don’t tell dad I said that."

“Of course, scout’s honor,” said Arthur with a grin. “Anyway, I’m sure your dad will inform you later today. Now what’s this about a profile?”

“Oh, well the man that gave us these computers was some kind of software person and these computers run based on it. The ones that we have are on child-safety mode but because this one isn’t, you need a profile. I’m not completely sure why, but that’s just what I remember.” said Percy with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Okay?” said Arthur, it’s not like he was going to be doing anything untoward with the computer.

“What’s your full name?” said Percy, clicking away.

“Arthur James Pendragon.” Arthur answered on automatic.

“I only meant the last bit,” snorted Percy, starting to type.

“P-E-N-D-R-A-G-O-N. The pen is mightier than the sword. Dragon. Enough said. Very cool name, sir,” said Percy with a shy smile.

“Thank you,” said Arthur with a chuckle. “And call me Arthur. You don’t work for me, no need to call me sir.”

“Alrighty. Now let’s see… adult, check. Skip all the optional information and then, oh yeah, the access code,” Percy muttered to himself while going through the profile. “What was it again?”

“Ahh, do you need your father for this,” asked Arthur holding onto a little hope.

“Only if I get the three tries wrong,” said Percy, “but I’m sure I can get it.

“That’s good to know. Is it your grandmother’s name? A pet? Favorite foods?” asked Arthur, trying to be helpful.

“No, it’s some made up insult. Dad was getting frustrated with the computer setup and we were all right there with him, so he wasn’t able to curse like I knew he wanted to,” giggled Percy.

“Okay, you know your dad, what kind of words would he use?” asked a bemused Arthur.

“Attempt number one. Cabbagehead,” typed Percy.

“What head? Cabbage?”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t it. Let me try dollophead!” said Percy

“You’re father is quite...,” Arthur didn’t know how to phrase it to a kid so he went with the safe route, “creative, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, it makes it difficult in these situations, which is a good thing, though,” said Percy with a grin. “Okay, last chance. I’m going to go with... turniphead!

Arthur couldn’t hide his amusement if he tried. He didn’t bother because only Percy was here to see his face.

“Drats. Sorry. Now I’ll have to go and ask my dad,” sighed Percy.

“That’s okay, Percy. Thanks for trying,” said Arthur. “So, your dad… he still uses those insults you tried?”

“Yep, all the time when he gets frustrated with clients in front of us and he’s trying to vent out his problems,” said Percy. “I’ll be right back.”

As Percy left the room, Arthur found he wasn’t too disappointed that Percy couldn’t crack the code. He also realized why he and Mordred got along so well. Precocious kids, the both of them.

As he heard footsteps approaching, Arthur schooled his face into one of indifference once more. He caught the tail end of Merlin’s conversation with Percy and almost broke.

“-is it really bad?” asked Percy.

“Yes. No. Not really. Well, yes it is. Perce, I’d rather not have to say it out loud and give you any ideas,” said Merlin.

Arthur could hear the grimace in his voice.

“When did you change the access code?” continued Percy

“A couple of months ago when your mum came to stay for the week. That reminds me, I have to give her a call,” said Merlin.

Arthur tried to stop hearing anymore after she was mentioned. He didn’t want to know more about Merlin’s personal life than he already did. He didn’t want to start caring. _There lies trouble_.

“Ahem. Arthur.” said Merlin, entering the door and sitting on the seat Percy initially occupied.

“Merlin. Here, Percy, you can sit,” said Arthur, getting up.

“No, you sit. Percy, turn around. I don’t want you to see the screen when I type it in,” said Merlin.

“Aww, dad,” whined Percy.

“Sorry, kiddo. Your nan would have my head,” said Merlin with a wry smile.

“Alright. Well you’re going to have to go to the user settings and change the password,” supplied Percy.

“Actually, if I just delete his profile and make it again, I can just use the same password. Figured that out when I called Tyr to complain about his rubbish software,” said Merlin, grinning at his son.

“Oh, okay. I’m going back to my room then. I can see I’m no longer needed. Bye dad, Arthur,” said Percy with a small wave and left.

“Alright then, what is it,” asked Arthur.

“I’m still not saying it out loud. He might still be in hearing distance. Look at the screen if you must,” sighed Merlin.

Merlin typed it in as quickly as he could that if Arthur sneezed, he would have missed it. Arthur didn’t sneeze. He barked out a laugh instead.

“Not a word.” Merlin said, shaking his head but letting out a defeated chuckle.

“Seriously? The access code was twatwaffle?” sniggered Arthur.

“Oi! Don’t repeat it,” Merlin said, smacking Arthur on the arm and craning his head to see if he could spot his son.

“You kiss your kids with that mouth?” Arthur teased.

“Like you’re any better. ‘Keep a tab, little man’,” Merlin mocked.

“Ah, yes. But I’m not as creative as you. As far as swearing goes, I stick to the old favorites and not ones as… colorful as you like,” said Arthur with a smirk.

“I was frustrated with the software alright?” said Merlin, knowing it for the weak excuse it was.

“Right. So I take it that Tyr Seward’s software isn’t as great as everyone says then?” mused Arthur.

“How’d you know it was, no, right. This is all part of your world. It’s alright. Once you get passed the user settings and get the profiles created. I don’t use his software myself, but it’s good for the kids,” said Merlin.

Arthur made a mental note about that information while Merlin continued to mess around with additional settings and programs on his profile.

“So how did you end up designing for him anyway?” asked Arthur, swivelling his chair so he was facing Merlin with his back to the computer.

“Tyr’s an old Uni mate. I did it for free because he’s my mate and frankly, he couldn’t afford me. He invested all his money into his software and only had so much left to renovate the building his mum purchased. Good thing his software pulled through. He gave us those computers a couple months after,” said Merlin.

“Do these computers cover the cost?” asked Arthur, making a sweeping gesture with his hand.

“Not then it didn’t, but now? He comes over himself to install free software updates every time there is one, so I’d say he’s pretty close. I always tell him he doesn’t need to, but he’s a stubborn turniphead, that one.” said Merlin chuckling and shaking his head.

Arthur tried not to laugh. There were no kids around, yet Merlin still used his weird made up word. Arthur had a feeling it was just due to Merlin’s personality more than anything.

“Alright, you’re good to go,” said Merlin standing up, “let me know if you need anything else, yeah?

“Sure. Thank you, Merlin,” said Arthur.

“No problem, I’ll be in my office,” said Merlin and walked out of the room.

When Arthur turned his chair around, he let out an undignified chortle.

“Cheeky bastard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignore my abysmal ps/paint (lol) skills. It's supposed to be what Merlin created in the short time that he and Arthur were speaking so I didn't take much time into making that. 
> 
> Until next week!
> 
> x


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana gets a moment to herself and tries to piece things together.

The more Morgana thought about it, the more relieved she was for pushing back her talk with Morgause. Merlin could not have called at a better time. She couldn’t really understand how it took Morgause so long to discover that she was alive. She’d been in magazines and the bloody papers more than enough times since the accident. She needed more time to think and when Merlin called, she jumped at the opportunity.

After changing plans and having lunch, she called her housekeeper to let her know to maintain the house for the next couple of weeks. Then, she called Gwen to let her know about the dinner. With that taken care of, she told Morgause to go ahead and leave first in case she needed to make last minute preparations to her home.

“If you’re sure,” said Morgause.

“I am. I can drive to yours with the company car I have in the garage,” replied Morgana.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon,” said Morgause while nodding over at Leon to say goodbye.

“Oh, Leon, before you go, help us load the car, would you?” Morgana commanded more than asked.

“Uh sure. I’ll talk to you later, Morgause,” said Leon and headed towards the suitcases.

After Morgause drove off and the boot of the car was loaded, Morgana turned to Leon.

“How long have you known Morgause?” asked Morgana.

“Huh? Oh, um, about seven years now. Blimey has it been that long?” Leon mused to himself.

“Seven years, huh,” said Morgana with a mask of indifference.

“Look,” said Leon, running a hand through his messy curls, “I don’t know what sort of conclusions you’re jumping to, but let me give you a rough outline.”

Morgana gave him a single nod to continue.

“I met Morgause when I was still at the Essetir division. She was newly transferred from Gedref and we were partnered for a year before I got transferred to Camelot. A year later, she was transferred to Camelot as well and… for a lack of better words, she was different,” said Leon.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Morgana.

“Morgause is a pretty reserved person to begin with, but she came back more,” Leon paused to think of a word, “cold. I found out her father passed away before she came, so I chalked it up as grief. No one lasted long as her partner, so I stepped up. We worked well together in Essetir, so I thought I might as well give it a shot. I’m not going to lie, it was tough going at first, and then all of a sudden she tells me that she’s going away on leave.”

“And then?”

“She was gone for a year. I thought she’d quit, but she came back. She looked like hell from whatever it was she was doing for a year, but I didn’t ask any questions. She’s thawed out since then, but not enough to how it was before.”

“I see.”

“Look, she doesn’t do friends, but I’m the closest she has to one, and she’s actually become one of my best mates. You have every right to be mad, but please hear her out,” said Leon in earnest.

“Of course I will. Who says I’m jumping to conclusions?” asked Morgana with a brow raised.

“People may find your face hard to read, but I can see it. I’d be a piss poor detective if I couldn’t,” said Leon.

“Are you saying that you can easily read me?” asked Morgana with a hint of steel.

“No. Just that I seem to be able to. Anyway, if that’s all, I’ll be off. You have my card. Call me if you need anything. Bye then. Mordred.” said Leon, nodding to her and then to her son.

Morgana was so wrapped up in what Leon was telling her, she didn’t realize her son was right there, listening to everything he was saying as well. She turned to look at Mordred, but before she could say anything, he beat her to the punch.

“I know, when I’m older,” said Mordred, a little sullenly, getting into the backseat of the car.

“Oh, I forgot to mention, we’re going back to Merlin’s for dinner,” said Morgana.

“We are?” asked Mordred with a small smile, buckling his seatbelt.

“Yes, we are. Gwen is coming along with us this time,” answered Morgana with a small smile of her own.

“Oh, okay. Well, let’s get going then so we can settle in at Morgause’s place before dinner. What time is it at?” asked Mordred.

“It’s at 6:30, but we’re going to go to Gwen’s at 5 so we can cook and then head on over,” responded Morgana as she got into the driver’s seat and buckled in.

“Okay,” said Mordred, pulling a book out of his rucksack.

Looking at her son through the rearview mirror, Morgana found that she couldn’t regret the events of her life. Sure, she was sad and angry, but if she had that other life, she wouldn’t have Mordred. As if he could read her mind, Mordred glanced back at Morgana through the mirror, gave her a small smile, and went back to reading.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Morgana turned on the car and backed out of the garage.

*

After Morgana’s house, Leon headed back to the office so he could get his own car. Then he decided he may as well give his boss an update in person, so he went inside.

“Hey there, Ellie. D’you know if Anhora is free at the moment?” asked Leon.

“Why does everyone ask me that? I’m not his P.A., I handle phones and simple admin things,” said Ellie.

“Umm, because he’s your uncle and everyone knows you’re actually way too good at your job?” answered Leon.

“Yes, it’s my life’s calling to be the glorified receptionist at the Camelot Met,” Ellie deadpanned.

“All jokes aside, everything would go a lot smoother if you actually worked here every day instead of just Friday through Monday,” said Leon.

“You know that Tuesday to Thursdays are reserved for the stables. If I had my way, I’d stay there forever,” said Ellie a bit dreamily.

“I know. We’re grateful for anytime you give over to us. Anyway, so Anhora?” Leon asked again.

“Oh, right. He’s available. Go on ahead,” said Ellie with a wave of her hand.

“Ta!” said Leon before heading over to Anhora’s office. He knocked twice and waited for an answer.

“Enter.”

“Sir, I’ve come to give you a—” Leon stopped short when he realized that Anhora, was in fact, not alone.

“Ah, DI Knight, what have you come to report,” asked Uther Pendragon.

“Sir! I mean, sir, what are you doing here?” asked Leon.

“He’s come to make sure that he’s fully up to date on the case at all times. We’ve come to an agreement of sorts that anything that isn’t absolutely confidential will be told to him as soon as possible,” said Anhora with a gruff voice.

“Alright then,” said Leon, trying to think of his next words carefully. “As you know, due to the possible threat left at Arthur’s flat, we’ve decided to put him in hiding for a week while we clear the place. Morgana decided to ask one of her closest confidants, Emrys, so he’s to reside at his household for the week.”

“Emrys?” asked Uther with a brow raised.

“Yes. Merlin Emrys to be exact. We have learned that the caretaker you have brought on for your estate is his uncle,” continued Leon. “We’re assured that your son is in good hands.”

“Okay. I’ll have to speak with Gaius to be sure,” said Uther.

“As for Morgana,” Leon started to say before he was interrupted once more.

“What about Morgana? What’s wrong? What happened?” asked Uther with alarm.

“Nothing, sir. As a precaution, She and her son will be staying with my partner at her place,” said Leon, hoping to the gods that Uther wouldn’t ask any questions. Of course it was never that easy.

“Who’s your partner?” commanded more than asked Uther.

Putting on a brave face, Leon answered, “Morgause Gorlois.”

Uther narrowed his eyes at Leon. Before he opened his mouth, Leon beat him to the punch.

“That’s all I have to report for now, sir,” said Leon nodding at Anhora first and then at Uther.

“Dismissed.” said Anhora with a nod.

Leon exited his office and waited at the end of the hall. Like he figured, a minute later, Uther Pendragon came out of the office and headed straight towards him. Leon didn’t feel comfortable divulging the information he learned yesterday, so before Uther could say anything, Leon started speaking.

“I suggest you have a conversation with your daughter, sir. It’s not my place to tell you what I know. The safest course of action would be for her to come over to the estate. I know that she’s busy tonight, but I’m sure you can work something out with her.” said Leon. He didn’t want to sound like he was telling Uther what to do because he knew for a fact that people with as much authority as Uther would not appreciate that.

Uther was looking at Leon with a look of appraisal that reminded Leon of Arthur. With a curt nod, Uther walked away. Letting go of a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, he made his way out to where Ellie was sitting.

“You look a bit rough," said Ellie.

"Why didn't you tell me Uther Pendragon was in Anhora's office?" asked Leon, putting his hands through his hair.

"Oh, he must have marched straight through while I was in the loo. Anyway, pub later?” asked Ellie.

“Gods, yes. Meet you at The Rising Sun at 6. I’m going home,” said Leon.

“Get in a good kip. I’ll see you later,” said Ellie with a sympathetic smile.

“Yeah, I think I could do with a lie in. Catch you later, Ells,” said Leon as he left. At the last minute, he remembered to head towards the car park and get into his own car.

*

Morgana started to explore Morgause’s house. Morgause excused herself to go grocery shopping and Mordred was reading in the sitting room, so she found that she had some time to spare before heading over to Gwen’s. Morgause lived in a nice, two-story house with three bedrooms, four baths, an office, and a mini library. Morgana would be taking the guest room with the bathroom inside, while Mordred would be taking the smaller room next door.

Morgana didn’t know what to expect when she walked through the front door, but she wasn’t surprised at the barely-there hint of opulence. Morgause’s home was decked out with sleek, modern furniture in a monochromatic grey. It sort of resembled Arthur’s flat, except less lived in, which Morgana didn’t think was possible.

Their mother, Vivienne, married into the line of House Gorlois—a family of old money. When Cedric Gorlois passed, everything was supposed to be split between his daughters. She supposed she was scratched out of the will since everything was passed down to Morgause.

The more Morgana thought about it, the more angry she became at herself as well. Her father, no Cedric—she would cease to call him her father out loud and in her thoughts—took advantage of their young age to manipulate them. How could she have so easily believed something without question? She was very inquisitive by nature, always having to be the first one to know everything.

The only reason she could gather for her not finding out sooner, was the fact that she was a firm believer of leaving the past in the past. That didn’t mean forget the past, no. On the contrary, once you cross Morgana, there really wasn’t any going back. She just believed that what’s done is done.

“Fucking hell!” whispered-yelled Morgana as she stubbed her toe on her suitcase. She looked around and realized she made it back to her own room and was pacing the floor. She looked over at the clock by the nightstand and saw that it was nearing 4PM.

“My anger burns right through time,” sighed Morgana to herself. While she was there, she decided to put away the rest of her stuff in the empty closet and drawers. Right when she finished throwing all of her clothes on to the bed, she heard a faint sound. Upon closer listening, she realized it was her phone.

Morgana blew the stray strands of hair from her face and plunged her hands into the pile of clothes. After a little rummaging, she managed to pull out her phone before whoever was calling hung up.

“Hello?” answered Morgana calmly.

“DI Knight. Have you got a minute,” said a weary voice.

“Leon. Should I be concerned?” asked Morgana.

“Maybe. I don’t know. Probably. I’ve called to give you a heads up about your father. He—”

“What’s happened!? Has someone—No. Just tell me,” said Morgana, lowering herself to sit on the floor, leaning on the bed.

“Yes, as I was saying, when I went back to the yard to speak with the DC, your father was there, demanding he be brought up to speed at all times,” said Leon.

“Of course he did. He’s a Pendragon.” said Morgana with a small smirk.

“That being said, he knows you and your son are staying with Morgause,” said Leon with a brief pause, “it seemed like he recognized her surname.”

Morgana groaned. “That’s going to be such a fun conversation to have.”

“So, I’m right then, aren’t I. Dodged a bullet there. I told him any questions he had, that it wasn’t my place to answer,” answered Leon.

“Of course he recognized it. House Gorlois is old money like his. Uther knows all the families from old money. He was actually pleased that my mum married into that family so she’d be taken care of. After that though, he didn’t bother to find out anything else. That’s why he didn’t know about me until I basically showed up on his doorstep,” said Morgana, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Right. Yes, so anyway, just a heads up. Expect a call from him soon. If he wants to meet in person, it would be best if you went over to the estate.” said Leon with a yawn.

“Thank you for letting me know, Leon. Is that it?” asked Morgana.

“No problem. Oh, maybe try not to visit Merlin as much. It would minimize the possibility of risk,” added Leon.

“Does that count for just this week or for the duration of this case? Was it a bad idea for me to place Arthur there?” said Morgana with more concern.

“Well, we don’t know if you’re being targeted at all. It could be strictly for the Pendragons, assuming no one else knows of your true patronage,” remarked Leon. “As for Merlin, Arthur is simply hiding at his place, so there isn’t really a risk at all. Of course, that would change if Arthur cocks it all up by telling someone where he is or if he’s seen,” continued Leon.

“Okay, well no one knows about my true patronage. Uther made a considerable investment to make sure of that. And Arthur’s smart enough not to do that, but I’ll make sure to drill that into his head later,” said Morgana.

“For now, continue with your daily routine as normally as you would or as normally as anyone could under the circumstances. You may be getting some unwanted attention at work tomorrow because of all this, but I’ll be in the area if it gets too out of hand. I’m going to be putting together a team to come in and case the area.” said Leon.

“Please be discreet. Have them in civilian clothing. I can get you access badges,” said Morgana, running her fingers through her hair.

“That would be great, actually. Cheers.” said Leon.

“Okay, I get to work by 8:30. Call or text me when you’re planning on being there. I’ll have the badges ready.” said Morgana, standing up.

“Will do. See you tomorrow,” replied Leon.

“Tomorrow.” said Morgana with a nod Leon couldn’t see, and hung up.

Placing her phone on the nightstand where she could see it, she turned to the pile of clothes on her bed. Not being able to stand messes, she started to put her clothes away. By the time she was finished, it was 4:45. She headed out of her room towards the stairs, but she saw that Mordred was in his room.

“When did you get upstairs?” she asked.

“When you were on the phone. I put my clothes away and organized my stuff. Are we leaving now?” asked Mordred.

“Just about. Let me just take off my contacts and put on my glasses,” said Morgana.

“Okay, I’ll wait in the sitting room,” said Mordred, getting off the bed and picking up his now far lighter rucksack.

“Alright, love,” said Morgana, sweeping her thumb across his cheek, “I’ll be there in 5.”

With that, Morgana walked back to her room and into the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting a little trickier trying to meet my one chapter a week deadlines, BUT I'll do my best to keep at it. Ta for your continued support in reading this little fanfic of mine! Until next week!
> 
> x


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family Meeting at the Emrys Household.

“Is that the door? I think I heard the door!” yelled Kay.

“Whoa, settle down, kiddo,” said Merlin with a chuckle, “have you been on the sweets again? I thought you said you ran out.”

“I did run out!” said Kay with a mischievous smile and ran to the door.

“The monitor is broken, remember? Why don’t you go and stand in front of Arthur’s room just in case it’s not Morgana and Gwen at the door,” said Merlin.

“Okay, dad!” said Kay and excitedly ran to the other end of the house.

With a slight shake of his head, Merlin headed for the door. After setting up Arthur’s computer, Merlin went back into the office and finished finalizing the sketch he was working on. After that, he emailed Mithian asking for her schedule. He was going to call her, but didn’t want to end up playing phone tag with her if they kept missing each other.

Then Merlin started to pace his office. He had to think about what he was going to tell his kids. He didn’t want to lie to them, but there was no way he could tell them the truth. He would have to say something that would sound reasonable.

After about 10 minutes of useless pacing, he decided to just wing it. Merlin found that was usually more effective when talking with his kids. Then he thought about whether Arthur should be there when he spoke with his kids, but thought against it because Arthur was sure to be a distraction.

Stepping out of his office, he walked over to Kay’s room first. Kay was on the floor of his room with several coloring books splayed out on the floor.

“Hey, Kay. Can you take a 5 minute break? There’s something I need to tell the family,” said Merlin.

“Okay, dad. Don’t touch my books, okay? They’re open to specific pages,” said Kay, glancing at each of his books.

“Not a problem, kiddo. Why don’t you go and get Perce. I’ll go get Lizzy and you can meet us in the living room,” said Merlin, ruffling Kay’s head.

After Kay nodded his head and left the room, Merlin went on to Lizzy’s room. She was in the middle of a tea party with Kilgarrah.

“Where on earth did you get that tutu and how did you get it to fit Kilgarrah?” asked Merlin, genuinely puzzled.

“Oh, I took it from Sefa. She was giving away some of her old dolls when I was over there last week and I just had to have it. Isn’t it perfect daddy? Better yet, it’s purrrrfect!” Lizzy squealed.

Merlin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his daughter’s developing sense of humor. On the one hand, it was exactly like his, but on the other, not many people appreciated his humor.

“That it is, dear. That it is. Anyway, daddy’s going to have to interrupt your tea party for a little bit, is that okay? There’s something important I have to tell you and your brothers,” said Merlin.

“That’s okay, this tea party was well over before you came in,” said Lizzy, hopping off her plastic pink chair.

“Okay, your brother’s are waiting in the living room. Let’s go and join them,” said Merlin, offering Lizzy his hand.

She took it and playfully swung it back and forth until they ended up on the couch.

“So, what is it you need to tell us, dad?” asked Percy.

“Right. So, Dad’s... friend, Arthur—”

“AR-THUR!” squealed Lizzy.

“Yes, Arthur,” continued Merlin with a wince, “well, kids, you see… He’s going to be—”

“Did someone call for me?” asked a puzzled Arthur from the playroom.

“What are you doing in the playroom without me, you silly man?” said Lizzy with a bright smile.

“Oh. Ermm, I was actually in the computer room?” answered Arthur motioning with his thumb over his shoulder.

“Oh, well, we’re talking about you, so maybe you should be here too,” said Kay.

Before Merlin could get another word in, Kay started talking again.

“Unless… Dad, were you going to say something bad about him that he shouldn’t hear? Did I muck things up?” whispered Kay, a little too loudly.

“No, son,” Merlin said with an exasperated smile, “he can join us. Why don’t you have a seat, Arthur.”

“Alright…” said Arthur, slowly making his way over to the couch.

“Okay, now that everyone is here, I’m going to make an announcement. Questions may be asked afterwards,” said Merlin, looking more at Kay.

With nods of consent from his children and Arthur, Merlin began again.

“Arthur here, is going to be staying with us for the week. Yes, a whole week, Lizzy,” said Merlin preempting his daughter.

Lizzy pressed her lips together and threw a smile at Arthur.

“The thing is, you lot cannot tell anyone he’s here. And I mean no one. None of your teachers or school mates. Only family will know that he’s here. Why you may ask? Well, Arthur is… he is getting his own house cleaned. And he’s um. He… Well, nobody can know he’s here because—”

“I’m going to be doing some top secret work for my company while they think I’m on a business trip,” helpfully supplied Arthur.

Merlin threw him a grateful look and picked up where he left off.

“Exactly! And Arthur works for a very well known company, so there are many spies out there that want to know what he’s doing at all times and some are even trying to steal his work!” said Merlin with his hands in the air.

“Can we ask questions now?” asked Percy with an amused look on his face.

“Yes, the floor is open, kids,” said Merlin, lowering his hands.

“Are you some kind of spy, Arthur?” asked Kay with a look of amazement on his face.

“Gods, Kay, you can’t just ask him if he’s a spy,” said Percy with a roll of his eyes, “if he is one, he’ll lie and say no because if he said yes, he’d be a rubbish spy. But then again if he isn’t one, we would never be completely sure because of exactly what I first said.”

“Your secret is safe with me. I promise.” said Kay, his face changing from amazement to down right hero-worship.

It was funny to see Arthur squirm a little, but Merlin decided to help him out because Arthur did save his arse earlier.

“Alright, kids. The floor is open for questions, but only to me. Arthur is only here so he can make sure I don’t say too much,” said Merlin with an exaggerated wink at Arthur.

Kay let out an excited gasp and covered his mouth with both his hands.

“So who did you mean by family?” asked Percy.

“Okay, well your nan and great uncle will know, so will aunt Freya and uncle Lucan. And also Gwen and Morgana’s family. Oh and Leon, whom you also met today,” said Merlin.

“Oh, so that means we can talk to Sefa and Mordred about Arthur?” asked Lizzy, excitedly.

“Only if you’re in a private place like home or in the presence of someone who already knows. If you’re at the park with Gwen and Sefa, and there’s no one else around, you still can’t talk about it because the park is not a private place, do you understand?” asked Merlin.

“Yes, daddy!” Lizzy said, nodding her head.

“So then if I’m with Percy and Mordred, and aunt Gana is there but all of a sudden the postman is here, I can’t talk about it?” asked Kay.

“Yes, very good. So, one more time, only at home or in front of people who already know and no public places,” said Merlin with a fond look at his bright children.

“Okay, so one last thing. You lot will be entrusted with a sacred duty of making sure that Arthur isn’t seen at home,” said Merlin with a mock serious face.

With the rapt attention of all his kids, Merlin continued. “After Uncle Lucan fixes the monitor tomorrow, we’ll be able to see who’s at the door. If it’s someone who isn’t on The List Of People Who Know, it will be one of your jobs to make sure Arthur is either in his room, or in one of yours until whoever goes away.”

“That’s easy!” said Lizzy clapping her hands.

“The more challenging duty would be to make sure no one can see Arthur from the backyard. You know your aunt Freya does the gardening once a week, but we have to make sure that any neighbors chatting with her doesn’t see Arthur,” said Merlin.

“That’s easy too!” said Kay.

“Alright then, I expect to have a 100% success rate the whole week Arthur is here,” said Merlin with a slight eyebrow raise at his kids.

“Don’t worry, dad, Arthur. We got this,” said Percy with a smile.

“I thank you, Percy, Kay, and Lizzy,” said Arthur giving each of Merlin’s kids a formal handshake.

Merlin had to bite his upper lip from cracking up.

“Okay, kids, you may go back to your rooms. I need to speak with Arthur alone for a minute,” said Merlin standing up.

When his kids were all in their own rooms, Arthur turned to Merlin and spoke first.

“Was all that really necessary? The ‘sacred duty’ and what not?” asked Arthur.

“Yes and no. Better safe than sorry, so might as well make it into a fun game instead of having to worry them,” said Merlin, “and besides, you’re officially, properly cool in the kids’ eyes and you barely even had to lift a finger.”

“Why should I care whether your kids think I’m cool or not?” huffed Arthur.

“Trust me. With my kids? If they think you’re some weird adult, your week here will seem pretty endless. Time flies by with that lot,” said Merlin with a fond look on his face. “And besides, could your ego take it if three kids thought you were a loser?”

Merlin counted it as a win when Arthur spluttered.

“Nobody has ever thought that I was a loser,” Arthur said, regaining his composure.

“Or no one ever told you to your face,” Merlin muttered.

“What was that?” said Arthur.

“Nothing! Just, will you actually be working a lot, what with the case?” said Merlin, changing course of the conversation.

“Here and there. I can’t actually do much without my computer. I’ll just have to delegate what I can,” said Arthur a bit irritatedly.

“Okay, then I won’t have to make too much of an effort from making sure my kids aren’t bugging you. Which is actually a relief. Though it’s alarming how fast we’re all warming up to you,” said Merlin, that last sentence more to himself.

“What was that?” said Arthur with a giant smirk. “How fast _we’re_ warming up to you, did you say?”

“Uh, no. I said they’re as in they are. As in my kids, Arthur. Don’t be silly,” said Merlin, willing himself not to turn red and give himself away.

“Yeah, sure, _Mer_ lin. Whatever you say, _Mer_ lin.” said Arthur as he sauntered back to his room.

Merlin shook his head and just plopped back on the couch to watch some telly. Half an hour later, the doorbell rang and Kay shot out of his room. After sending his son to guard Arthur’s door, Merlin looked through the unused peephole on the door and saw that it was the expected company.

“You’re early,” said Merlin as he opened the door.

“Nonsense, the Queen is never late. Everyone is simply early,” said Morgana, “Now go and help Gwen with the rest of the food.”

“Rest? There’s more than the two plates you’re holding and the platter Mordred’s got? Hullo again, Mordred,” said Merlin.

“Hello, Uncle Merlin,” said Mordred as he passed Merlin to the kitchen.

“Yes, there is, I was able to tell Gwen a brief summary of what’s going on and you know her, she started cooking up a storm,” said Morgana heading into the kitchen as well.

Merlin yelled for his kids to come out to help, then went out the door to help Gwen.

“Merlin!” said a smiling Gwen, hugging Merlin.

“Gwen, have you been crying?” asked an alarmed Merlin.

“Oh, shut up. Maybe a little. It’s just so awful what’s happened, isn’t it? I mean, it’s so terrible and now you’ve taken in a stray and I’ve made you food to last at least half the week,” said Gwen. She would have been wringing her hands had she not picked up big pot.

“Is there anything left?” asked Merlin.

“Yes, there’s two more dishes,” said Gwen walking up the driveway. “Oh and two trays of desserts.”

“Good gods, woman! How did you have time for any of this? Oh, nevermind, we’ll talk when I get inside,” said Merlin, grabbing the dishes.

As he went back into the house, Morgana and Mordred went back out to grab the rest. Morgana came in with the two dessert trays and Mordred had a basket of muffins.

“I won’t even ask. I’ve known you for how long? I shouldn’t even be surprised,” said Merlin, going over to Gwen to hug her once more.

“Where’s Arthur?” asked Gwen.

“He’s in the loo. Hi Auntie Gwen,” said Kay, walking over to give Gwen a hug.

“Hello sweetie,” said Gwen, hugging Kay back, “why don’t you, Perce, and Mordred go ahead and set the table.”

“Okay!” said Kay, but stepped back to ask Gwen an important question.

“What kind of muffins did you bake?” Kay whispered in her ear.

“Don’t you worry, Kay. There’s blueberry, chocolate chip, and double chocolate,” winked Gwen.

“Yessssssssssss!” shouted Kay, running over to Percy and Mordred.

“No running!” Merlin shouted over Gwen’s shoulder, but went unheard.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have told him about the muffins so soon,” said Gwen with an apologetic smile.

“No, it’s not your fault. He ate something that’s making him so hyper, but I’m not really sure what. He ran out of his own sweets, so Perce must have slipped him something,” said Merlin, shaking his head.

“Ah, Guinevere,” said a smooth voice behind Merlin.

“Oh, Arthur!” said Gwen, throwing her arms around him. “Are you alright??”

“Yes, I’m alright, Gwen, I’m not a child,” said Arthur, returning the hug nevertheless.

“It’s just so terrible, everything that’s going on. I mean—”

“Alright, Gwen, let’s save this for after dinner, when the kids aren’t around,” said Morgana, uncorking a bottle of wine.

“My thoughts exactly,” nodded Merlin, “we don’t want Holmes and Watson piecing things together now, do we.”

“Exactly. Gods only know what that Sherlock there has already put together and probably started filling in his John,” said Morgana with a fond shake of her head.

“Gods, Morgana, that sounded vaguely sexual. Ugh,” grimaced Merlin before he and Morgana started to laugh out loud.

“Mordred is Sherlock and Percy is John,” supplied Gwen to the lost Arthur.

“Of course they are. How did the two of you end up with bright children anyway? It boggles the mind,” teased Arthur.

“Of course it would confuse you, baby brother,” said Morgana with mock sympathy.

“No wine for you, then. It might confuse you even more,” added Merlin.

“I concede. Please don’t take the wine away,” said Arthur, already moving towards the wine.

“Children please,” chided Gwen, “let’s go eat, the table’s already been set and the real kids are just sitting there, waiting for us.”

*

To say that Arthur was surprised to see Morgana dressed down and in her glasses was an understatement. Arthur mentally patted himself on the shoulder for schooling his face so quickly when he first saw her as he came out of his room. He knew for a fact that Morgana never wore her glasses in front of others if she could help it because it supposedly “weakened her signature glare”—as if.

Morgana being that comfortable in the presence of Merlin had to be a testament to what Merlin was saying earlier. Arthur was curious of what they went through together to build a bond so strong in a matter of years. Were there things about Morgana that he was unaware of? He didn’t want to go down that path of confusion and hurt before dinner, so he pushed it aside.

As they sat down for dinner, there was a marvelous Sunday roast in the center of the dining table. Arthur started to salivate until he realized something.

“Hang on. And you call each other family. How could you forget that Lizzy and Percy are allergic to beef?” said Arthur, mildly affronted on the kids’ behalf.

“What are you on about, Arthur?” said a concerned Gwen.

“The kids! With the beef and the other one with the chocolate!” said Arthur.

“Oh, I’m pleased you remember. Listen, about that,” started Merlin.

“Dad was just joking so he could feel better about almost not asking you if you were allergic to anything,” said Percy trying not to laugh.

“But, wait. So then what about the chocolate?” asked a confused Arthur.

“Dad just likes to say that because I LOVEEEEEE chocolate. I thought you got it when I winked at you,” said Kay with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

“I thought that was just about no bribing,” said Arthur, trying not to feel embarrassed. He shouldn’t feel the need to be, seeing as he was lied to.

“Oh, yeah. That too,” said Kay with another wink.

“Yes. Ahem. About that. Forgot to clear the air. No one is allergic to anything. Everyone in this family loves to eat and try new things,” said Merlin with a nervous chuckle.

“Is that so,” said Arthur, half glaring at Merlin. “Then I expect a steak dinner this week, Merlin. For all that you’re putting my head through.”

“Now, hang on—”

“Yay, steak!” cheered Lizzy. Arthur counted it as a win when Merlin just huffed out a sigh and relented.

After a filling dinner and amazing dessert, Merlin and Gwen went into the kitchen to pack away leftovers and what have you. Arthur caught Morgana looking fondly at the company around her, himself included, and he found himself smiling back. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this way whilst in a “family setting.”

“Mordred, dear. Could you and Percy keep the kids in the playroom while the adults talk?” asked Morgana.

“Alright. Come on, Percy, let’s go,” said Mordred, getting out of his seat.

“And no eavesdropping, you two,” said Morgana firmly.

“Yes, mum.”

“Fine, aunt Gana.”

With that, the older kids collected the younger two and led them off to the playroom and closed the door.

“What’s gotten you so amused, Arthur,” said Morgana with a raise of her eyebrow.

“Oh nothing, it’s just that with that tone of voice, you’d have our employees running to do your every command. Yet here? All you get are two kids, sullenly obeying.”

“They’re kids, Arthur, what do you expect?” said Morgana with a chuckle.

“I don’t know. But just because they are kids, doesn’t mean they don’t know fear,” replied Arthur.

“I’ll give you that,” said Morgana, switching seats so she was next to Arthur.

“Alright, so what’s going on,” asked Gwen, sitting across from Morgana.

“On a scale of 1 - 10,” asked Merlin from the kitchen.

“I’d say a strong 8,” said Morgana with a grim face.

“Okay, another bottle it is,” said Merlin, uncorking a bottle and coming over to sit across Arthur.

“Arthur, do you mind watching the door to the playroom? I really don’t want the kids to eavesdrop,” said Morgana.

Arthur was hurt that he wasn’t going to be a part of this “family meeting,” but Pendragons didn’t show emotion so he tried to get up as stoically as possible and started to move to the sofa to get a better view of the door.

“What are you doing? From here, you berk. Just swap seats with Gwen,” said Morgana with a slightly confused face.

“Right. Of course,” said Arthur, a little embarrassed at his inner, emotional toil. However, he couldn’t stop the small smile that escaped when his back was towards the rest of the company.

*

Morgana took off her glasses and brushed her fingers through her hair. Then she took a deep breath to calm herself. There was no need for her to be nervous about what she was going to tell Merlin and Gwen, but she didn’t like being emotional—she was a Pendragon after all. She also glanced across the table at Arthur who dutifully kept glancing back between her and the door he was supposed to watch. She didn’t know what was going through Arthur’s head, but she hoped that if she were to say things that he didn’t know about, that he wouldn’t be too hurt about it.

She loved her brother, but there were just some things that she couldn’t tell him. Not major things, but little things here and there. Small things she was afraid he would take the wrong way. Either that or her pride wouldn’t have been able to take it at the time. Knowing Arthur, he’d still be a little hurt just because he wasn’t in the know. Anyway, it wasn’t like he told her everything about his life either.

Taking a sip of wine, she first caught both Merlin and Gwen up on the case and more details of what happened.

“Oh, you poor things. How can someone be so heartless? How’s your father?” said a worried Gwen, one hand on her chest, the other, a clenched fist on the table.

“He’s doing just fine, the last I heard. Still ordering people around, demanding to know everything,” smirked Morgana, sharing a knowing glance with Arthur.

“Of course he is,” said Arthur, rolling his eyes.

“Okay, that wasn’t the main reason I called this meeting. I have some news. Some bigs new actually. About my past...” said Morgana looking at both Merlin and Gwen.

“All jokes aside, you mean your terrible, tragic past that you absolutely loathe talking about?” asked Merlin a bit warily.

Morgana let out a slight huff. “I don’t absolutely loathe it, but yes, Merlin. Exactly that one.”

“You loathe it alright. The one and only time you ever brought it up was when we were both piss drunk and then you beat me up with a bog roll, a BOG ROLL, to get me to agree to never bring it up again. Then you felt terrible and crawled into bed with me,” said Merlin with a finger pointed at Morgana.

Arthur proceeded to choke on his wine. “WHOA. I do not need to know the details of my sister’s sex-life, thank you very much.”

“Please, Arthur. Merlin’s family. It wasn’t like that,” said Morgana, rolling her eyes.

“We’ve all drunk-cuddled and fallen asleep with Merlin here on many occasions,” agreed Gwen with a smile.

“Everyone except you, Arthur. Better catch up,” said Morgana with an evil smirk.

“What-no, erm, didn’t you have something really important to say, Morgana?” stammered Arthur, trying not to blush.

Morgana was having too much fun and she was glad that this light-hearted moment came to pass before she unloaded her news.

“Hold on just a mo,” said Merlin, getting up and going back to the kitchen. He came back with a box of tissues, placed them in front of Gwen, and took a rather large sip of his wine. “Carry on, Morgs.”

“Right. So, Gwen, forgive me for never telling you. The only reason Merlin vaguely knows is because of that night,” started Morgana.

With Gwen’s nod, she continued.

“The thing is, when my mother passed away in that terrible car accident all those years ago, I actually lost my sister too,” said Morgana, looking at her hands in her lap.

Gwen let out a gasp. “What? You had a sister?”

“Turns out I still do,” said Morgana, looking up to see Gwen’s shocked face. She then looked over at Merlin. He was staring at her with his brows furrowed in concern.

Morgana then began to rehash her life story. How she lost her mother and sister, how her father went mad a year later and died, and then how she came to live with Arthur. She told them how she never talked about it because it was too painful. It was easy to say that her parents passed away, but no one ever asked if she lost anyone else. Her sister had become a secret she kept for herself.

“I cannot believe you’ve kept that all to yourself, all these years,” sobbed Gwen, grabbing several tissues. “I know you don’t like to talk about your past, or like to show any emotions, but don’t you dare keep things like that from me again! You never have to go through anything alone again.”

“I know, I know, Gwen. I’m sorry, but I’m not finished,” said Morgana holding on to one of Gwen’s hands.

She looked across the table at Arthur and took a moment to ground herself. Arthur gave her a small nod for strength.

“Discovering that my thought-to-be-dead sister was Leon’s partner wasn’t the biggest shock,” started Morgana.

“What could possibly top that?” Merlin muttered.

“How about the fact that my father didn’t want me when he found out I wasn’t his, used my mother’s death to manipulate me and Morgause into thinking the other was dead, and then faking his own death so he didn’t have to deal with me anymore,” said Morgana, all in one breath.

“Fuck.” whispered Merlin as he lowered his head and started to massage his temples with his hands.

Gwen’s tears were just flowing down her face at this point. Morgana knew this would happen—hell, so did Merlin. Thank goodness for the tissues—because Gwen had a heart five times bigger than the average human. She then saw Merlin get up from his seat, pull the empty chair next to Gwen over so that he was in the middle of her and Gwen, threw an arm around Gwen, and grabbed Morgana’s other hand.

“Morgana? I’m trying to make sense of all of this. So, when you said that he found out you weren’t his…,” Merlin trailed off.

“When I was 16, I got really angry at Uther for something and ended up in a car accident. It was pretty bad. Then we all found out that Uther was my biological father,” clarified Morgana.

“How did you know that your, erm, other father, didn’t want you?” soldiered Merlin.

Morgana really liked that Merlin was strong enough to be able to ask questions. She didn’t feel like bringing this up ever again if she could help it. She then proceeded to tell them about what she knew of Morgause’s side. How she moved away and didn’t look back after The Accident. How she only came back to Camelot because she was transferred, but then ended up leaving again because of what she found in her father’s will.

“I don’t know much. I still haven’t had The Talk with her yet. Leon tried to tell me a couple things so I wouldn’t start jumping to conclusions,” Morgana said a bit numbly.

Merlin looked down at his lap and nodded his head once before looking back up at Morgana and saying, “You know what? It’s like what you always say. The past is in the past. You’re much better for not having that despicable fucker in your life anyway. Uther is a much better father than he could ever be and you gained a brother. You also have Gwen. And me. And well, your sister back. You have a big arse family who want and need you, and there is no getting rid of us. You’re stuck with me for life, Morgs.”

Merlin then proceeded to pull Morgana up and envelope her in a bear hug. She hadn’t cried once since she found out about everything, but she found her lips wobbling a bit. Then she felt Gwen, rubbing her back in soothing motions and lost it. She buried her face into Merlin’s shoulder to hide her tears.

“Arthur, get over here,” said Gwen.

There was an awkward sliding back of a chair and then Arthur came to stand by the trio.

“Join in the hug, or so help me, I will hurt you,” whispered Gwen.

Morgana felt more pressure added to the hug she was encased in and let herself be held by her family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many feels! Anyway, I did a quick doodle of Gwen (I usually do faceless when its quick) with Angel Coulby's real hair style instead of canon Gwen because I really love that hair on Angel. 
> 
> Cheers for your continued kudos and comments, dears :)
> 
> Until next week!
> 
> x


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pub Night.

Refreshed from his nap, Leon entered The Rising Sun, eager to drink. He spotted Ellie at their usual open-ended booth, chatting away with Forridel and Owain. As soon as he spotted a drink for himself at the table, he passed the bar and went straight to the table.

“Forr! Good to see you out of the dungeons,” said Leon with a smile.

“Yeah, yeah whatever. If there’s drink involved and a case to be solved, I’m always in,” winked Forr, already well on her way to being drunk.

“Have a seat!” shouted Ellie as she slid a pint towards Leon. “We were just talking about the case you’re on!”

Leon gulped down about half his beer before setting it back on the table. “You’re supposed to be discreet about this one, Ells.”

“Oi! I can’t believe Anhora just passed on me and gave this one to you,” complained Owain.

“Like I said, discreet.” grinned Leon.

“Oh, piss off! I know how to be discreet. I can be plenty discreet! Like the time I covered for you when you didn’t want to go to that poncy—”

“No, no, no. Shut up! This is the exact opposite of discreet,” said Leon, standing up to clap a hand over Owain’s mouth across the table.

“Poncy what?” said Ellie with a confused face. “Come on, you can’t leave us hanging. Finish that sentence!”

Owain realized his mistake and just shook his head motioning a zip across his lips and throwing away the key.

“You guys, suck.” pouted Ellie throwing a chip in their direction.

“Next round on me?” Leon said.

“Alright, all’s forgiven. Go ahead and get it, then we can continue talking about the case!” smiled Ellie.

With a shake of his head, Leon went over to the bar and grabbed the next round.

“Four pints and a basket of chips, please,” said Leon.

“What, is that it? Just the chips?” asked Mary, the bartender and owner of the pub.

“Owain’s here early tonight. If I get more than chips before he’s pissed, I won’t get to eat,” said Leon.

“Alright then, here you go, Leon. Don’t make a mess of my pub, now,” warned Mary with a smile.

“Cheers, Mary. I’ll try to reign in my wild bunch,” said Leon, dripping sarcasm before laughing and walking away.

“And he’s back! Took you long enough. Oh, more chips!” said Forr, making grabby hands for it.

“That’s it? No fish? No wings?” asked Owain, frowning at the tray.

“If you want them, go on and get them yourself. Not made out of money here,” said Leon.

“Nah, not that hungry anyway,” said Owain, clearing his throat.

“You’re a filthy liar who lies!” yelled Forridel, “you’re always hungry. Always!”

“Here you cheap bastard, go and get some food for everyone,” said Ellie, slipping Owain some money.

“I’m on it!” said Owain with a big grin as he rushed out of his seat.

Shaking his head, Leon couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why do you always indulge him?”

“It’s not like I can’t afford it,” shrugged Ellie, “and besides, I can’t say no to his Oliver Twist eyes. It makes me want to cry. Seriously. If you just rubbed some dirt on his face, you’d be hard pressed to say no to him too.”

“Like hell. I can say no to that cheap bastard any day,” laughed Leon.

“Erm, I’m short a couple quid. You have a fiver?” asked Owain, a little out of breath from pushing through the crowd.

The whole table was quiet for a moment before Leon let out a long suffering sigh and took out his wallet to hand Owain the money.

“Cheers, mate!” said Owain with a blinding grin and went back to the bar.

“I told you!!” yelled Ellie with glee, “it’s the eyes!!”

“Yeah, well there may or may not have been some dirt on his face,” huffed Leon before he and the rest of the table started cracking up.

Leon looked around at his company while moving on to his second pint. He didn’t really do mates, but looking at his table of misfits, he couldn’t help but be glad that whatever they were, worked. He texted Morgause to come on out, but she politely declined as she usually did. Any time she did join them, the lot of them got roaring drunk in order to celebrate. Was the hangover worth it? Probably not, but it was great fun.

“So, how’s it like working on a case with my ex-fiance?” said Ellie, out of the blue.

Leon sprayed the beer in his mouth on to the floor. “I’m sorry, WHAT?!”

Ellie just let out a snort. “Oh, yeah, I was sort of in an arranged marriage with Arthur since I was 18 until I turned 21.”

“Elena Victoria Godwyn! You can’t just say things like that,” said Leon, wiping the side of the table and the sides of his trousers.

“Well, it’s true. And it wasn't some sort of torrid love affair or anything. It was an arrangement made when my father merged his company with the Pendragons. My father is the COO of Avalon Tech Inc. I thought you knew that?” said Ellie with a shrug.

“Are you forgetting that Leon is a rubbish mate?” teased Owain laying down the tray of food.

“Fuck off, Montague. You’re no better than I am,” said Leon, throwing a chip at him.

“That’s a waste of food, you git!” said Owain, picking up the chip from his lap and popping it in his mouth.

“Anyway, so what’s this about an ex-fiance?” asked Forridel.

“Oh, well we met for the first time when I was 18 and he was 21. We were planning to grin and bear it for our fathers, but then three years later, Arthur took me aside and we had a long talk. We then both spoke to our fathers and things just worked out,” said Ellie, popping a chip into her mouth.

“Just like that?” asked Forridel.

“Oh, Uther was probably angry at Arthur, but it worked out in the end because my dad didn’t get all mad and pull away from the company,” said Ellie, dramatically. “You see, my dad, he’s a closet romantic! When I told him I was in love with someone else, he was understanding and spoke to Uther.”

“And were you?” asked Owain with his mouthful.

“Hmm?” asked Ellie.

“In love with some other bloke!” said Owain, spitting some of his food out.

“That’s fucking gross, Owain. Eat your food first, you heathen,” said Forridel, but eagerly kept up the conversation with, “go on, then. Were you?”

“Not really,” said Ellie with a blush, “but I was mad crushing on Arthur’s mate. Never got his name, but he had great hair.”

“Small fucking world,” muttered Leon as he finished his pint. “Owain, go and get the next round! No complaints. I know you haven’t paid for anything yet.”

Owain let out a squawk. But before he could say anything, Forridel pushed him off his seat. “Go on then, I’ll get the next round.”

With a huff, Owain went to the bar.

“So, you don’t really know the Pendragons besides that one incident in your life? What about Morgana?” asked Leon.

“Yeah, my interactions with them are pretty much that. I met Morgana once. She’s beautiful and frightening,” said Ellie with a nod of her head. “But also really nice. She helped Arthur and me plan what to tell our fathers.”

“Beautiful and frightening. That’s her in a nutshell,” said Leon, absent-mindly nodding.

“What’s this? Interested, are we?” asked Ellie with a manic gleam in her eye.

Leon almost choked on the wing he was eating. “What, no! Just agreeing with what you said!”

“Getting flushed, are we?” teased Forridel.

“Oh, shut it, Forr. Stop living vicariously through our lives. This one is off limits.” said Leon

“What’s off limits?” asked Owain, back with more pints and peanuts.

“Nothing!” said Leon.

“His love life!” yelled Forridel at the same time.

“How did this get from me being interested to my love life??” said Leon, a bit alarmed.

Ellie was just looking at Leon with a knowing smile. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or worried that she elected to stay silent.

“Who’s the bird?” asked Owain.

“Morgana Le Fay!” yelled Forridel.

“Oh, quiet you. Stop yelling on purpose to get back at Leon. A lot of people know who she is, so if you want to keep talking about this, indoor voices.” said Ellie, oddly the voice of reason for the night.

“Shit, mate. Le Fay? She is proper fit,” said Owain with a leer.

“Look what you did, Forr, you’ve reverted Owain back to a hormonal teenager,” sighed Leon.

“That would only be true if he ever grew out of that phase to begin with,” said Forr.

Leon barked out a laugh at that. “Touche.”

“Alright, no beers for you ungrateful sods. I’m going to take this tray and drink my sorrows away at that corner table over there,” said Owain, moving to get up.

He was too slow however, and the rest of the table grabbed their drinks right away.

“So you never answered my question. How’s it like working with Arthur?” asked Ellie, thankfully changing the subject somewhat.

“He’s a pretentious, posh git,” said Leon. “He’s so entitled sometimes that I just want to bash him on the head, but then there are these rare, little tells that show me he’s actually human.”

“You got that from two days of interaction?” asked Forridel, a little amazed.

“It’s the psych degree in him,” teased Ellie.

“Alright then, I’m officially glad that you’re on this case instead of me. I’d have probably chewed his head off by now,” said Owain, still stuffing his mouth with whatever food left.

“And then you’d lose your job and be on unemployment for the rest of your life,” said Leon. “You do not want to mess with the Pendragon family, mate. Detective or not, Uther has a lot of power even though he’s ‘retired’,” said Leon with air quotes.

“It’s the power of people that come from old money,” Ellie sighed.

“How is it that we’re only now discovering that we’ve got our own little silver spoon?” said Owain.

“That’s exactly why, you tosspot,” said Forridel, rolling her eyes.

“Aww come on, Ellie knows we love her for her anyway. Now I don’t have to feel so bad every time she buys me food!” said Owain.

Leon sighed and smacked the back of Owain’s head.

“Ouch! Why’ve you done that, then?” said Owain, rubbing his head.

“I swear if you start expecting her to buy you everything, I’ll rip you a new one, Montague,” said Leon with a little warning in his voice.

“Honestly, it’s fine,” said Ellie, “I know you lot won’t treat me any differently, and all I need to do to shut this one up, is to buy him food. No worries.”

“See! She’s fine. If anything, this calls for more pub nights. Hey Ellie, you should just start a tab here with Mary,” suggested Owain, excitedly.

“No.” said Leon and Forridel at the same time.

“Sorry, Owain. Not gonna happen. I may be nice, but I’m not stupid,” smiled Ellie.

“It was worth a shot,” laughed Owain, “and now? Forridel, I believe it’s your turn to get the next round.”

“Here,” said Forridel, handing over some money to Owain, “you go and get the next round. I don’t think I can walk in a straight line right now. Get me a water, I’m done for the night.”

“More for me, then!” said Owain, getting out of his seat.

“Right, I’m off to the loo, be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!” said Forridel as she got up.

“You alright or do you need some help?” asked Ellie, trying not to laugh.

“It’s just round the corner, I’ll be fine,” said Forridel, waving her off and leaving.

When it was just Ellie at the table, Leon tried to think of something to talk about before Ellie could, but alas, he was beaten to the punch.

“So, Morgana, eh?” smiled Ellie.

“No. It’s nothing. I’ve just never met a woman like her, that’s all,” said Leon, “don’t try and put a name to it.”

“Oh, please. I know you’ve already psychoanalyzed her or whatever you do and are just waiting for the case to be over so you can properly woo her,” said Ellie, her smile bordering manic.

Leon spluttered the last bits of his drink he was trying to get down. “Woo her? really, Ells?”

“Don’t you know it. I know you better than you think, sir Knight,” said Ellie with a shit-eating grin.

“Then you’ll know that I don’t have time for relationships. I can’t even remember the last time I was in a proper one,” mused Leon.

“Six years ago with Isolde until she dumped you for Tristan, never to be seen again. Then you had an almost relationship with Mab, a year after that, but we don’t talk about that mistake,” helpfully supplied Ellie.

“Ughh. Remind me never to get drunk with you again,” groaned Leon. “Mind you, you are privy to some private information that you should never speak of in general.”

“Oh, relax. You know I won’t tell a soul,” said Ellie with a softer smile.

“Only a couple years and you know more about me than anyone should. You’re lucky you grow on people. Like an adorable little parasite that’s harmless so no one would have the heart to chuck you,” said Leon.

“I forgive you because that’s the buzz talking. And as far as insults go, that was rather cute,” said Ellie with a shake of her head.

Just then, Owain came back with a tray of four pints and a water at the same time Forridel came back from the loo.

“I said I didn’t want another, Owain,” said Forridel, a bit confused.

“Oh, I know. It’s for me!” said Owain, pointing at himself.

“Cheeky bastard,” said Forr, sitting down and grabbing her water.

Owain just passed the others their drinks and grabbed the first of his. “Alright! Ready for round four, you tossers?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of a glimpse into Leon's world. Until next week!
> 
> x


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It pays off when you know people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't look at the end notes first if you don't want to be spoiled. There's a small surprise (nothing damaging to the plot, but just a nice addition). Enjoy!

Gaius was situated in the guest room down the hall to Uther’s. Uther briefly mentioned how he couldn’t go back to the south wing of the estate ever since Igraine passed, so he ended up renovating the north wing to make it his permanent residence.

“Call me mad, but it’s still exactly the way she left it,” said Uther with a sad smile to his face. “I think I’ve only been in there about five times since.”

Although in a new wing of the old estate, Gaius found himself adjusting in no time. Arriving just passed 8 AM, he was met at the door by a stranger.

“Hello. You must be Dr. Gaius Wilson. Please allow me to take your luggage to your room. Master Pendragon is waiting for you in the dining room for breakfast,” said the man.

“Thank you. And you are?” inquired Gaius.

“I am master Pendragon’s newly acquired live-in help. I assist in everything from cooking to cleaning, with a specialty in polishing. Please refer to me as George,” stated the perfectly groomed man.

“Very well, thank you, George. I’ll see myself to the dining room then,” said Gaius, with both eyebrows slightly raised.

When Uther said he would take care of something, Gaius had forgotten just how quickly he kept to his word.

“Ah, Gaius. Glad you’re here. Do sit and have some breakfast,” said Uther, folding up the morning paper.

“Thank you. So where did you find George so quickly?” asked Gaius, pouring himself a cup of tea.

“Do you remember Geoffrey of Monmouth” asked Uther.

“The old archivist?” responded Gaius.

“Yes, that’s the one. He gave me a call yesterday, asking if I could please hire George off him until he could afford him again. Apparently he invested the rest of his money into that old library of his,” said Uther, picking up his fork and knife.

“That’s rather fortunate. The timing couldn’t have been better,” remarked Gaius, biting into some toast.

“That’s what I thought as well. I had both him and George checked out of course. Each twice by both of my private investigators. Both clean and turns out that George has a rather impressive resume. Don’t know how Monmouth managed to snatch him in the first place,” said Uther.

“Now that you have George, do you still need me to stay?” asked Gaius.

“Yes. I’d still very much appreciate it. He may be competent, but as far as I’m concerned, I cannot trust him. You are one of the very few people that have my complete trust. That and you still have your physician skills. I couldn’t ask for anyone better,” said Uther with a meaningful look. “Though since I managed to get George, you have considerably more free time. In fact, if you need to see patients, have them come here. You can take advantage of the empty rooms in the west wing.

“That’s greatly appreciate, Uther. Thank you,” said Gaius.

“Of course,” said Uther, “and how was the rest of your weekend?”

“You know I actually met Morgana yesterday,” said Gaius with a small smile.

“Did you? How?” asked Uther, genuinely curious.

“Turns out she’s very good friends with my nephew, Merlin,” said Gaius with a fond look on his face.

“Oh yes, that’s right. I’ve been meaning to ask you about him,” said Uther, picking up the coffee pot. “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but can he be trusted?”

“Oh, absolutely. He’s responsible and kind-hearted. He has three kids of his own and his house has every safety precaution you can imagine. Morgana and I had to actually convince Merlin to saying yes to taking in Arthur,” said Gaius.

“Alright, if both you and Morgana can vouch for him, then that puts my mind at ease,” said Uther.

“Oh! That reminds me,” said Gaius pulling out his phone, “I have a picture of Arthur with Merlin.”

Both of Uther’s eyebrows rose upon seeing his son in a fairly intimate setting with another man.

“I took this photo for a little blackmail fun,” said Gaius, with a playful gleam in his eye. “Oh, I didn’t realize... does the photo make you uncomfortable?”

“No, no. It’s fine. Just took me by surprise,” said Uther. “Arthur told me he was interested in both parties when he turned 16. It was one of the few times I found myself in Igraine’s room. I’ve come to terms with it after all these years.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. Well, there’s nothing going on between the two, but I have a feeling that might change,” said Gaius. He was quite proud of Uther for being accepting of Arthur. Whether that was the case in the beginning or not, the fact that he’s at a good place now brought out a smile on Gaius’ face.

“Now are you going to tell me what’s really bothering you then?”

“What on earth are you on about?” asked Uther, taking his spoon out of his coffee.

“You’ve hardly touched your food. Just moved it about and if I’m not mistaken, you always took your coffee with milk, not juice,” said Gaius with his famous eyebrow raise.

“What?” said Uther, looking down and seeing his ruined coffee.

“Right, well, you’re not wrong,” said Uther with a sigh. “I’ve just uncovered some news that I don’t exactly know how to go about.”

“Is it something I can help with?” asked Gaius.

“Might as well. Yesterday, I heard a name that I haven’t heard in a long time,” Uther paused, “Gorlois.”

“Sounds familiar,” said Gaius, his brows furrowed.

“It’s the family Vivienne married into,” said Uther. “The strange thing is, there shouldn’t be any other Gorlois. Cedric’s family was the last of that line, and when he passed, I was told his fortune was donated to charity or something like that.”

“Well, how did you hear the name?” asked Gaius.

“The DI in charge of this case said his partner’s name is Morgause Gorlois. I wasn’t sure if she was some estranged relation of Cedric’s or if it was really coincidence, but what he told me made me think otherwise. With respect for Morgana, I’m waiting to hear back from her before I try to find out anymore. I don’t want to open up Pandora’s box if it’s not necessary,” said Uther.

“That was wise, Uther. Good for you,” said Gaius, handing Uther a new cup of coffee.

“I had to fight the urge to just figure out everything for myself. Once I get an email back from her, we’ll see what happens."

*

After a much needed night of too many feelings, Morgana felt like she could take on the world. She dropped Mordred off at school and got to work a little earlier than usual. Gwen was already there and had a cup of coffee waiting for Morgana at her desk like always.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” said Morgana, picking up her cup as she passed Gwen’s desk to her office just behind.

“Yes, it is,” said Gwen, smiling because she knew why Morgana was in such a good mood.

Even opening an email from Uther, asking to talk, didn’t phase Morgana. She simply replied with an “I’ll see you for dinner” and went about her morning tasks.

“I’ve emailed you your updated schedule and here are the personnel files you asked me for, from the last five years,” said Gwen, coming into the office and placing a USB on Morgana’s desk.

“Oh, before you go, can you get five all-access badges prepared? Leon is coming in with a team to scope out the area and probably some staff. Put them under my personal guest list. No one is to know that they are from the Met,” said Morgana.

“Sure thing. Anything else?” asked Gwen, stopping at the door.

“No, that’s it for now. Thanks,” said Morgana, picking up her desk phone to call Arthur. However, she put the phone down as soon as she heard another voice outside.

“I believe this belongs to you,” said a smooth voice.

“I don’t think so. It’s not my color,” Gwen bantered back.

“Well, why don’t we see? There. It brings out your eyes,” said an all too familiar voice.

“Let me let her know you’re here,” Gwen said with a chuckle.

“Aww where’s the fun in that? We’re all friends here, let me just walk in and surprise her. Might I add that you’re looking even lovelier than usual? You’ve got a glow about you,” said the man. Morgana grinned when that all but confirmed who it was.

“You know, your flirting and flattering will get you nowhere with me,” said an amused Gwen.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt to try,” chuckled the man.

“Gwaine, stop bothering Gwen. To what do I owe this unpleasant surprise?” smirked Morgana from the doorway.

“Ouch. You wound me, Ice Queen of my heart. In fact, you’ll be quite pleased that I’m here, highness,” said Gwaine.

Morgana looked at Gwaine and found that he was actually being serious.

“Gwen, put the ‘do not disturb’ toggle on your phone and mine, then come in. It’d probably be better if you heard what he has to say as well,” said Morgana.

As soon as they were all in her office, Gwen sitting next to Morgana while Gwaine was sprawled on the couch, he started to speak.

“So, any guesses as to why I’m here instead of off galavanting in Mercia?”

“You weren’t supposed to be back until Thursday, right? You said you were writing a piece on some poisoned chalice or something, did you not?” answered Gwen.

“Be still my heart, you remembered!” smiled Gwaine.

“No way,” said Morgana, hope flooding into her system.

“Penny in the air,” Gwaine said, nodding for Morgana to continue.

“How on earth did you manage it, though?” asked Morgana.

“Oh!” smiled Gwen.

“And the penny drops!” said Gwaine with a shit-eating grin.

“You’re the only one coming in today?” asked Morgana.

“I’ve got exclusive rights to the Pendragon story. Not that many people know. I took care of it the best that I could. But know that if anyone else makes a move, you can sue them and then I can sue them for whatever’s left,” said Gwaine with his chest puffed out.

“I could bloody kiss you,” said Morgana, getting up from her seat with a brilliant smile.

“You know I would never deny you that,” smiled Gwaine.

“Oh, shut up,” said Morgana, kissing him on the cheek anyway.

“Spoilsport,” said Gwaine when he didn’t get a kiss on the lips.

“I don’t understand how you did it or how you even knew about what happened, but thank you,” said Morgana with a meaningful look.

“It’s a secret,” grinned Gwaine. “ As a freelance journalist, I’ve got contacts everywhere. And it was my pleasure. You Pendragons are the apples of my eye! How is the princess anyway?”

“You haven’t spoken to him?” asked Gwen.

“Nope, I heard about what happened yesterday, and got on the redeye. Arrived several hours ago, met with my contact, and here I am,” said Gwaine.

“Tsk. You must be exhausted. Go home and get some rest,” said Gwen.

“Nah, I’m a bit wired from all the espresso shots that I had on the plane. Besides, got work to do, haven’t I. I can sleep when I’m dead,” winked Gwaine.

“You’ll out-live us all you loon. Here, let me go get you some sustenance. There are muffins in the kitchen,” said Gwen.

“Cheers. I’ll just do a short interview with you, Gans, and then I’ll be on my way to Arthur’s office. Had to come down to HR first, didn’t I? Plus, I’d rather face his wrath over yours anyday. I know you always have to know ahead of everyone else, so I came to you first. Aren’t you proud? I think that deserves another kiss,” grinned Gwaine.

“Don’t push it. Anyway, Arthur isn’t going to be in the office for the rest of the week,” said Morgana, thinking about how much she could tell Gwaine.

“Why is that? Business trip? Or does it have something to do with what happened on Saturday? He’s alright, yeah?” said a concerned Gwaine.

“He’s on a business trip. But off the record,” said Morgana with a look that promised severe consequences, “he’s fine. He just needs to lay low for the week. You can still speak to him through phone or email, though he’ll obviously be screening them.”

“Here’s a couple of muffins and some juice. Now eat,” mothered Gwen, coming back from the kitchen.

“You’re magnificent, you are, Gwen,” said Gwaine, shoving half a muffin into his mouth.

In the meantime, Morgana’s mobile buzzed with a text. As she grabbed her mobile off the desk, she saw that it was from Leon.

 **Leon** : _ETA 9:30. Team of five + myself. See you soon._

 **Morgana** : _I need the names of your team for the badges._

 **Leon** _:_ _As follows_ _:_  
_Leon Knight_  
_Elena Godwyn_  
_Owain Montague_  
_Ethan Hill_  
_Valiant Nagendra_  
_Drea Barnes_

“Gwen, I just a text from Leon. He and his team will be arriving at 9:30. Oh, and I’ll be needing six badges, not five. I’ll forward you the names from my phone,” said Morgana.

“Okay, I should have those ready by 9,” said Gwen, heading out to her desk.

“Leon?” Gwaine asked with his mouthful.

“DI Leon Knight is in charge of this case. He’ll be working on it with his partner, DI Morgause Gorlois,” said Morgana, rolling her eyes at Gwaine’s lack of etiquette. “With your manners, it’s a wonder you can get anyone to talk to you.”

“Oh come on, highness, I don’t need to fancy talk you. We both know it wouldn’t work anyway,” smiled Gwaine, then proceeded to chug down his juice in one go.

“Damn straight. Anyway, let’s get on with this interview. I’ve got a thousand things to do today, including heading this company for the week,” said Morgana.

“Shouldn’t that responsibility fall to Agravaine?” asked Gwaine, getting his tape recorder out of his pack.

“Yes, but it slipped our minds that he’s on his honeymoon this week. He eloped with some dim-witted bint from the Isle of Mora,” said Morgana with a long suffering sigh. “I don’t care how you use that information, but you can’t quote me on it.”

“I can write a short piece on Agravaine and his mid-life crisis for Mercia Daily News after I write this exclusive for Camelot Times,” grinned Gwaine. “Okay, I’m turning the recorder on now.”

After a concise, fifteen minute interview and some more failed flirting on Gwaine’s end, he left after Morgana promised a proper sit-down meal with the usual crew very soon. As Morgana started to straighten out a couple things on her desk, she remembered that she was going to call Arthur so she picked up her phone again.

“Guess what,” said Morgana with mildly suppressed glee.

“Morning to you too,” said a gruff voice.

“Come on. Guess! I suspect you’ll be rather impressed,” said Morgana.

“This was all a dream and still is a dream and I’m about to really wake up in the comfort of my own flat from a satisfactory one night stand?” Arthur drawled.

“Don’t put off my morning by being a tosser,” chided Morgana, “Gwaine came by.”

“Isn’t he supposed to be in Mercia?” said a semi-baffled Arthur.

“Three guesses as to why he’s not there,” said Morgana with a smirk.

“No fucking way. That blessed bastard!” said Arthur with a laugh. “Hang on, why’s he gone to you? He didn’t even call or text me.”

“Because, contrary to popular belief, he can be smart. Besides the fact that I am the Chief Human Resources Officer, I’m better company than you,” said Morgana.

“You must be in a good mood if you can compliment Gwaine of all people,” said Arthur.

“Yes, well, had a good night, didn’t I,” said Morgana with a smile.

“Ahem. Yes. I suppose,” said Arthur. Morgana could hear the small smile on Arthur’s face.

“Well, I didn’t call for that news. I forgot to mention to you that Leon and a team of people were coming into work today under my personal guest list. They are going to be undercover to scope out the area and try to vet some people,” Morgana informed.

There was a heavy sigh over the phone. “Alright. Okay. Anything else?”

“Yes. Are you sure you don’t want Godwyn and Bayard to take over the week? For a test run of sorts,” asked Morgana.

“I’m sure. I know you’re more than competent enough to do it alone. Besides, I want to be there when they go through that trial period,” answered Arthur.

“Alright, then,” said Morgana, happy at the compliment she was given. “Oh right, one more thing. Uther emailed saying he wanted to speak with me. I’m 95% sure that it’s about Morgause. Leon gave me a heads up.”

“That’s not going to be a fun conversation,” sighed Arthur.

“I know. It’ll be awkward at the very least. I told him I’d come round for dinner,” said Morgana with a small shrug.

“Do you want me to be there? I can put on a disguise and meet you there,” said Arthur.

“Very cloak and dagger of you Arthur,” said Morgana amused and touched by what Arthur was offering. “Maybe I should see if there are any other emotional traumas in my life if you’re going to be this nice to me afterwards,” Morgana teased.

“Ha bloody ha, don’t even joke about that, Morgana.” said a stern Arthur.

Morgana would never be able to mark just when her younger brother got so protective over her, but as annoying as it could get sometimes, she couldn’t say she completely disliked it either.

“Alright, you big softie. Leon should be here soon. I’ll talk to you later,” said Morgana.

“Okay. Be safe. Even if no one is after you, just be careful,” said Arthur.

“Will do. Bye, Wart!” said Morgana and hung up, but not before hearing Arthur’s undignified huff. She knew how much he hated that nickname, but it gave her something to laugh about and fuel her good mood even further.

*

It was only a matter of ten minutes before Leon had assembled a team. He asked Owain first, to quell his secret-not-so-secret bitterness towards Anhora. That meant Owain’s new partner, DI Drea Barnes would be coming along.

Then he got partners DS Ethan Hill and DS Valiant Nagendra for the neighborhood sweep. Ethan was a good bloke, nice enough to smooth the rough edges of his partner’s utter lack of social niceties, while Valiant made up for it with his “street smarts.”

He was about ready to text Morgana with the list of his team when Ellie stepped up to his desk.

“Ellie, what are you doing here? I thought you said you couldn't make it in today,” said Leon.

“I know. All of my lovely horses are getting their annual check-ups today. I'm supposed to be there for them, but I was banished from the stables because I may have gotten a tad too emotional,” Ellie sighed.

“That’s too bad,” chuckled Leon, “well I’ve got to get going soon. Have to go over to Avalon to check that situation out.”

“Can I come??” asked Ellie with bright eyes.

“It’s an investigation. So no, Ells.” said Leon.

“Oh why not? You’re undercover. I can talk to Morgana! It wouldn’t be too strange, would it?” asked Ellie.

“Forgot that you know her. Forgot that your father—” Leon stopped and sighed. “What are the chances that you’ll stop by anyway on the pretense that you’re visiting your father just because you’re bored?”

“Very high. I haven’t even thought of that, cheers!” said Ellie with a bright grin.

“Liar. Whatever. I guess you being with us could add to the credibility of why we’re there,” consented Leon.

“Yes! I promise I’ll be good. You lot can go do whatever you lot do and I’ll just talk to Morgana,” said Ellie.

“No, if you’re going, I’m putting you to work. You can interview some of the staff, make it seem like some sort of surprise inspection of your father’s. I’ll send you a list of questions to ask,” said Leon.

“This will be a wonderful distraction today. Ta Leon,” smiled Ellie.

It was 9:30 on the dot when Leon and his team arrived on the topmost floor of the Avalon Tech Inc. building. It was impressive and sleek, fitting the image of “The Best” to a T. When they shuffled out of the elevator, the receptionist must have realized who they were because she got up and ushered them to the sitting area in front of Morgana’s office.

“Hello, you must be the team assisting with the impromptu review on behalf of Mr. Godwyn,” said a pretty brunette with a lovely voice. “My name is Gwen and I’m Morgana Le Fay’s P.A. Here are your badges, she’ll be with you in a moment.”

Leon had called Morgana earlier and told her about the cover they would be assuming. He was relieved to know that she approved of it and was even looking forward to seeing Ellie again. Gwen disappeared behind Morgana’s door and after a minute came out with Morgana behind her.

“Good morning everyone, Gwen will show you to the conference room where we will have a short meeting before you begin. There are muffins and coffee in the room that you can help yourselves to as well,” said Morgana before turning her attention to someone right behind Leon. “Ah, Elena Godwyn. It’s good to see you again.”

“Hi, Morgana! It’s been a really long time hasn’t it?” Ellie said brightly.

“It has, seeing as you continue to miss all the company functions,” said Morgana with a slight raise of her eyebrow.

“Oh, after the failed you know what, dad let me skip out on those for a couple of years. Then, I just made myself scarce. I don’t do well in formal settings. Too clumsy, remember?” said Ellie with a laugh.

“Nonsense. Anyway, we should definitely all get together soon. After the review is fully finished, of course,” said Morgana, leading Ellie and Leon to the conference room.

“I’d love that!!” beamed Ellie.

Once they were all set in the conference room, Morgana gave them a rundown of what a typical day was like in the office. Leon couldn’t help but be irritated and embarrassed by the way that Valiant was leering at her. He was glad that he’d already assigned Valiant to scoping out their surroundings at the lower levels instead of hanging around the top floor.

Even though Valiant Nagendra was the very definition of a scumbag, Leon needed to assemble a team quickly for this job. And loathe as he was to admit it, Valiant was good at getting information.

“Alright, you all know you’re positions. Remember to be discreet. We’re supposed to be doing evaluations, not police work. We’ll meet back up here at 12:30. See what our next steps should be. Dismissed.” said Leon.

“Leon, come with me to my office. I need to speak to you for a minute,” said Morgana, already walking away without confirmation.

Once in her immaculate office, she steepled her hands together and gave him a considering look.

“How do you know Elena Godwyn?” Morgana asked.

“She works down at the met half the week. I met her through a case a several years ago and she—”

“Right, her horses. I heard about that,” interrupted Morgana.

“—signed up to help out because she was grateful and—”

“Of course! Her Uncle is the DC” nodded Morgana to herself.

“—she’s become a decent mate of mine—”

“So how long have you two been shagging?” asked Morgana.

Leon choked on his spit. “Excuse me? What? No, we’ve never. Gods, she’s like a little sister—”

“Oh relax. I’m just teasing you,” smirked Morgana, “I like making you squirm. Makes you less professional.”

Leon cleared his throat. “Morga—”

Just then, Leon’s mobile started ringing. He saw that it was his partner so he picked up right away.

“We’ve got a problem,” said Morgause without greeting.

“Hello to you too. What is it,” asked Leon.

“The hospital records are gone. I’m being told that the physical files were lost and that the electronic ones are beyond corrupted,” said an irritated Morgause.

“Like that doesn’t confirm what we were thinking. Okay, so we know that he’s not working alone, that much is certain. Is he re—”

Morgana raised her hand to silence Leon. It wasn’t the “may I ask a question, teacher” hand. More like “the Queen wishes to speak” raise of the hand.

“One second,” said Leon. He took the phone away from his ear and placed it in front of his chest. “What?”

“What’s going on.” Morgana demanded.

With a sigh, Leon responded. “The hospital has lost your father’s records.”

“Is that Morgause? Put her on speakerphone,” said Morgana.

“You’re on speaker,” said Leon after pressing a couple buttons and placed his phone on Morgana’s desk.

“Uther has his own copies of medical records so you need not worry about that. I forgot to tell you that because obviously I had other things on my mind,” said Morgana. “Though we may not be able to physically prove that Jonas was behind his heart attack five years ago, I’m more than confident the both of you can get him to confess. Just goad him about Katrina.”

“Have you ever considered becoming a detective?” asked a pleased Morgause.

“I wouldn’t have the time or patience for the grunt work necessary to become one,” said Morgana, checking her nails.

“Okay, I’m going back to the office to speak with Jonas. He should be stable enough by now. Even got himself a lawyer.” said Morgause. “Leon, I’ll talk to you later and I’ll see you later, Morgana.”

Morgause hung up without waiting for a response. Leon collected his phone and got up from his seat. Before he could maneuver himself out, Morgana spoke up.

“I’m having dinner with Uther tonight. Thought I should let you know. I’m sure he’s already let someone know of my coming, but I wanted to thank you for the heads up,” said Morgana, not looking at Leon, shuffling some papers together on her desk.

“It was the decent thing to do,” said Leon. Before he was out of her office, he turned around to say one last thing. “I see it’s rather quiet here today. Maybe Avalon Tech isn’t as much of a tasty morsel to journalists anymore.”

“Oh, we’re still tasty alright. A damn fine cuisine. We’re just well connected. I suppose I should warn you that you may get a visit from one soon. He’s a friend and he’s managed to get exclusive rights to this story. Before you ask, no, I don’t know how. He’s freelance and… unconventional,” said Morgana with a roll of her eyes.

“His name?” asked Leon with a little trepidation.

“Gwaine McMann,” said Morgana.

“Oh, okay. I’m not too familiar with him, but anyone beats Gilli Haverforth,” said Leon, more relaxed.

“Oh, he’s not allowed within fifty feet the building,” laughed Morgana, “persistent little blighter. I had that taken care of ages ago.”

Leon surprised himself with the big smile he let out at hearing that. “Ahem, well yes. I best go and do my job. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Of course.” said Morgana, turning to her computer and continuing her work as if no one else was in the room.

Leon let out a little chuckle and went on his way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Merlin wasn't in the last couple chapters (this one included), but I hope the introduction of Gwaine made up for it! He'll definitely be back next week!
> 
> And cheers for all your continued comments and kudos, wonderful people! 
> 
> x


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A window into Merlin's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I edited a small part of chapter 14 where Leon is surprised to see Elena at the office on a Monday. I realized that I originally put Elena's work schedule as Friday - Monday, so I made a little change where Elena previously notified Leon that she wouldn't be in on Monday, hence his surprise that she is. Not a big deal, but yes, just letting you all know!

To say Arthur was grumpy this morning would have been an outright lie. He was actually quite relaxed. He was a bit gruff on the phone with Morgana because she woke him up from a pleasant dream that was already escaping his memory. He didn’t usually sleep in, even when he didn’t have to go to work, but being plied with decent wine the other night and a barrage of emotions, he allowed the indulgence.

Arthur pulled on the pair of sweats and the shirt that Merlin gave to him last night. They were both a bit too form fitting on his body, but at least they were comfortable. After he took some time to brush his teeth, he walked out of his room and headed towards the kitchen. He glanced at the clock hanging above the television to see that it was 9:30.

Arthur then wandered over to the kitchen to grab one of the many muffins Gwen had brought the other night. Before he did however, he saw that there was a note in front of the basket.

  
_Arthur,_

_The kids are at school and I’ll be gone for a meeting and such until lunch time. Help yourself to whatever. There’s a breakfast plate for you in the fridge. Just heat it up in the microwave. You do know how to use one, yes? There’s a fresh pot of coffee. Please don’t destroy my house while I’m gone. It’ll only be several hours._

_Merlin_

Arthur didn’t know whether to smile or scowl. He only went with the smile because no one was there to witness it. He opened the fridge and saw the plate with his name on it. He grabbed it and placed it in the microwave and got a mug to pour himself some coffee.

When he heard the beep, alerting him that his food was ready, he took it out and grabbed a fork to sit down and enjoy his food. He was used to the silence of eating alone, but it was odd to find that this particular silence was warmer. He was in a home that was filled with love and care, something he wasn’t normally used to. He thought it would be suffocating, but he was proved wrong once more.

After Morgana told Gwen and Merlin about her past and Arthur was pulled in for that odd, group hug, Morgana pounced on an unsuspecting Merlin.

“As we’re on the topic of feelings and revelations, I think it’s your turn Merlin,” Morgana said with an intense look at Merlin.

“Morgana,” Merlin slightly pleaded.

“You know I won’t push you, but wouldn’t it be better to just tell us now? I know I should’ve told the both of you about my past sooner. Don’t make the same mistake I did,” said Morgana with a softer voice.

Merlin looked like he was going to be sick.

“Morgana, leave him be. What you had to say is more than enough for him to digest without having to talk about something he clearly doesn’t want to talk about,” said Arthur.

Merlin shot Arthur a surprised yet grateful look. Arthur nodded his head.

“As much as I agree with you, Arthur,” said Gwen, “I’m going to have to go with Morgana. We know Merlin and if he doesn’t say whatever Morgana wants him to tonight, he won’t ever bring it up willingly again. It’s like pulling teeth with this one.”

Merlin shot a betrayed look to Gwen, but finally ducked his head in assent.

“Great. I know where you store your emergency wine,” said Morgana, appearing from the kitchen with two more bottles. “I know this will help.”

With a great sigh, Merlin walked over to the couch and plonked himself down. Morgana brought the bottles while Gwen and Arthur brought over their glasses.

Morgana and Gwen were sitting on either side of Merlin and Arthur got on his knees to pour them all another glass. When he finished and got up to sit on the sofa perpendicular to them, he looked up to see Merlin staring at him.

Right. Merlin only met him yesterday, surely he wouldn’t be comfortable with Arthur there when he was going to talk about such private matters. “Right. Um. I’ll just leave you guys to it, shall I? I’ll be in my-I mean the guest room, should any of you need me.”

Arthur stood up to walk away when Merlin spoke up.

“No, it’s okay. You can stay,” said Merlin, rubbing his hands over his face.

“Merlin, are you sure?” asked Morgana.

“Yeah. Gods know why, but I don’t feel uncomfortable with him knowing,” said Merlin.

Morgana gave Arthur a little nod and Arthur sat back down.

“Where would I even begin?” asked Merlin, more to himself than anyone.

“How about from when you met Mithian,” said Gwen gently, “seems like the right place to start.”

“Right. I’m surprised you didn’t tell Morgana this yourself,” said Merlin.

“Oi, give me some credit here. It wasn’t my place to tell and Morgana never asked me,” said Gwen.

“That’s only because I was a fool to assume,” Morgana said wryly.

“Alright, well Mithian and I met in secondary. We were great together as friends so it made sense to the both of us to try for something more. And it was. It was amazing. We were so in love. Then a couple years later, we found out that she was pregnant. I mean, it was a shock, but we loved each other, didn’t we. So we got married. Money wasn’t an issue because Mith’s dad was one of those nouveau riche toffs. No matter how much I denied his help, he wouldn’t hear of it. Being a daddy’s girl, I was alone in that fight. I’m grateful we had the help we did though. I wouldn’t be where I am without it.” said Merlin, sincerely.

“Several years later, Kay came along. Did I ever tell you that his actual name is Rupert?” said Merlin.

“Seriously?” Morgana snorted.

“Don’t laugh, but yes. It was Mith’s idea to name him after her father for all the support he gave us. Kay is his middle name, and was completely my mum’s idea, saving little Rupes from relentless teasing,” chuckled Merlin.

“Percival, Rupert, and Elizabeth. Sounds so weird and formal when said altogether,” said Gwen. “Not! Not that there’s anything wrong with it.”

“Don’t worry Gwen, those were my thoughts exactly. Why do you think I always shorten their names?” smiled Merlin. “Anyway, after Kay, things got more difficult. I was busy with university and Mith had to set aside her blossoming photography career in order to care for Kay. Our relationship was beginning to strain. I think Mith secretly resented the fact that she had to put her career on hold.”

“It’s bloody photography. Anyone can snap a picture,” scoffed Arthur. When he realized that they were all staring at him, he cleared his throat. “Ahem. Sorry. Continue.”

Merlin gave him a small, amused smile before continuing. “Lizzy was a pleasant surprise. She wasn’t planned, but by then Mith was used to having kids and 'better' at multitasking,” said Merlin with air quotes.

Seeing Merlin’s grim face, Gwen and Morgana both put their arm through Merlin’s.

“We argued about it constantly. I would come home to find Kay making a right mess in the kitchen or to Percy covered in mud and alone in the backyard. Oh, we had a fantastic row when I came home to Lizzy crawling with childish glee in her own sick,” said Merlin with a faraway look on his face. “Can’t forget the fact that she would almost always drop whatever she was doing whenever her father beckoned.”

The bitterness that Arthur heard in Merlin’s voice was so out of place. It felt wrong and Arthur was suddenly unsure if he wanted to hear the rest.

“I was coming home from a meeting with Lance. The designs for this house was finalized and moving onto construction so I was having a pretty good day. I’ll never forget the shrieks of pain that I heard once I entered the house,” Merlin said, face too pale, wringing his hands.

“I ran to where I heard the noise. It was coming from Mith’s photo room. Lizzy was on the floor, wailing and trying to claw off a damp towel from her eyes, but she was failing. I ran to her and tore off the towel. Her eyes were an angry red that I still have nightmares about. The doctors said her hair saved her from any severe burns to her face.” said Merlin, monotone.

Gwen was tearing up again reliving the past and Morgana’s lips were pressed very thin to keep from cursing.

“You know what the kicker was? Mith was just trying to hand Lizzy her blankie but she was on the phone with her father so she gave her the wrong thing. She didn’t realize the bottom half of the towel she handed our baby was soaked in some kind of photography chemical shite. She was the one frantically calling the ambulance because I just couldn’t. She knew I hated it when she brought Lizzy in that room. She couldn’t spare a glance to make sure that she didn’t give her kid the wrong thing? I mean what kind of irresponsible parent does that? Why the fuck would you take your two year old into a room with chemicals in it? I still don’t understand.” spat out Merlin.

“I think the first words out of my mouth once Lizzy was in surgery was that I wanted a divorce. The only reason why it took so long was because her father tried to get in the way. Then you. Fierce Morgana, you, came into the picture through you, beautiful Gwen, and sped up the divorce process and here we are now.”

“I’m glad I was able to speed things along,” said Morgana. “I don’t know why you still let her come around.”

“She’s their mother. I have to,” chided Merlin. “And besides, we’re friends again. We had a long, _long_ talk about it after the divorce was finalized. We were never meant to get this far together. We were great friends, and though we loved each other, that was all we were meant to be.”

“You’re a better man than most,” said Arthur. Realizing he said that out loud, he found that all eyes were on him yet again. “What, do you disagree?”

“Of course not. I’m glad you see it that way too,” smiled Gwen.

“Now, is there anything else you need to tell us?” asked Morgana.

Arthur saw Merlin hesitating. Arthur didn’t know what else this man could be hiding.

“Well, you know that my father died in his line of work when I was young and that I’ve lost people in my life, but if it’s all the same, I’m done for the night,” said Merlin, exhausted.

Before Morgana could say anything, Arthur jumped in. “Give it a rest, Morgs. He’s said enough. It’s getting late and all of your brats have school tomorrow, do they not?”

Morgana narrowed her eyes at Arthur, but conceded. “Fine, but we need an hour to sober up. While we’re changing the subject, I know exactly what we can talk about. Merlin? Gwennie-poo?”

“Oh, fuck me,” Arthur groused and opened up the last bottle of wine for himself.

Arthur shook his head and finished his breakfast. He supposed it was better to have gotten the teasing of that particular subject out early. He left his dirty dishes in the sink and went to the computer room to do some work.

*

After his morning meeting, Merlin found himself in Lance’s office, catching him up on recent events.

“You know, I still find it really odd that the both of you haven’t actually met until a couple days ago. You’ve known Morgana how long now?” asked Lance.

“Well, it just so happened that we kept missing each other in whatever opportunities there were. Also, it’s not as if she speaks about him all the time. If anything, it’s just to gripe about one thing or another,” shrugged Merlin.

“Yeah, but you called him Mr. Le Fay when you first saw him. Surely you remembered his surname was Pendragon,” said Lance with an eyebrow quirked up.

“Oh, well, I only said that because Morgana told me to. I should know better than to listen to her by now,” said Merlin chuckling, “but I didn’t have much thought for it. I was running late after a bad morning of sorts.”

“Still, it’s just really weird. I mean, even I see Arthur once every couple weeks or so, when he finds the time to come play footie with me and some of the other lads,” mused Lance, more to himself than anything. “Come to think of it, it’s pretty unbelievable that Morgana only met Gaius recently and that she still hasn’t formally met your mum.”

“I can’t explain it either. But I guess now that I think about it, it is kind of odd,” said Merlin with a slight frown.

“Well, nevermind that, are you sure you’re okay with Arthur being at yours? I mean he’s a good man, but I got the impression he didn’t really, well, like kids,” said Lance.

“Oh? How so?” asked Merlin, genuinely curious.

“Well there’s the fact that he calls most kids ‘brats’ and there was that one time several years ago when Gwen had Arthur hold Sefa for a quick minute while she got another nappie. I like the man fine, but I wouldn’t want anyone to hold my kid with the look of absolute horror and dismay that he had on his face,” said Lance.

“Yeah, Arthur is a bit of an oaf when it comes to kids, but I think my lot will sort him out. Speaking of Gwen, did you know that they used to go out?” asked Merlin.

“Oh, yeah, Gwen told me all about that,” chuckled Lance.

“Can you believe they were each other’s first?” Merlin laughed. Then he realized what he said and how it sounded. “I mean. Not that they were each other’s _first_ , I wouldn’t know that. I meant that they were each other’s first relationship!” stammered Merlin with a blush.

“Relax, Merlin. It was back in secondary. She told me all about it,” chuckled Lance.

“Naturally,” said Merlin. “Did you also know what he used to call her?”

“Oh, you mean Gwennie-poo?” said Lance with a quirk of his lips.

“Yes!” Merlin guffawed. He remembered the relentless teasing he inflicted on Arthur last night with the help of Morgana while Gwen, rather exasperated, still laughed along. It was nice to see Arthur being able to take the teasing like a man. Although his scowl didn’t let up, he thought he could see the hint of a smile.

“Honestly, I think it’s on the same level of cheese as when you fondly dubbed Mith as Mithrandir,” no longer able to stop himself from laughing.

“Oi, piss off!” said Merlin, blushing in good humor. “It was the only other wizard name that came close to her name.”

“Doesn’t matter, mate. It’s still pretty embarrassing,” smiled Lance.

“But that doesn’t really count. It’s what I used to call her before we started dating,” Merlin countered.

“Point. Yeah, I don’t know why anyone would think anything ending with ‘poo’ would be a good term of endearment.” said Lance, pursing his lips.

“Arthur was new at the whole relationship thing, so he grudgingly admitted he was trying every angle of it. Then after he and Gwen broke up, he apparently became a slag,” said Merlin with a fond shake of his head.

“Merlin,” Lance gently chided.

“Morgana’s words, not mine,” Merlin grinned. “Anyway, I’ve finished the drawing and sketches for the Griffin project. Is there anything else on the drawing board before we take on any other projects?”

“No, I think that makes us pretty set to pick up something else,” confirmed Lance, checking the calendar on his computer.

“That’s good. I have a feeling we’ll be taking on Arthur as our next client anyway,” said Merlin.

“Oh, already? You shouldn’t overwork yourself, Merlin.” said Lance.

“Please, ever since I backed out of being completely in charge of construction, I’ve had too much time on my hands,” Merlin rebutted.

“That’s a lie. You know Galahad still consults with you on everything,” Lance said with an eyebrow raise.

“Be that as it may, I think it would be good to do this job next. He’s stranded at my house anyway, so I can kill two birds with one stone,” shrugged Merlin.

“Alright. I guess I’ll have to rearrange the client waiting list. There were a few clients wanting to meet with you for their secondary meeting. And that isn’t counting the people waiting for their first.” said Lance, tapping two fingers against his lips.

“My, my aren’t we popular. It must be some peak real estate season,” said Merlin. “Right, I’m going to go back to my office to clear up a few things and then I think I’m probably going to work from home the rest of this week.”

“What about your meeting with Grunhilda tomorrow?” asked Lance.

“Well, I’ve already emailed you the ideas I have for her next hotel. I left several different sketches and notes on the drafting table in the workspace area of my office. I was hoping you could take one for the team and meet her without me?” said Merlin with a hopeful smile.

“But it’s the secondary meeting. Old client or not, you know you’re supposed to be there,” frowned Lance.

“Yes, but we all know she doesn’t care about that. It’s you she listens to. The old hag always leers after you and ignores everything I say anyway. Then when you say the exact same thing a second later, she practically swoons. Who swoons about marble patterns!?” Merlin said exasperatedly.

“Bedivere.” said Merlin and Lance at the same time. They both chuckled thinking about their interior designer.

“Fine. But only because it’s actually better for you to be at home right now,” said Lance. “When are you leaving?”

“Cheers, mate. Just before lunch. I don’t want to go back at the end of the day after picking my kids up from school, only to see my beautiful home in ruins. It took a lot out of me to get that house as perfect as I have it now,” said Merlin, with a rather proud look on his face.

“He can’t be that bad,” smiled Lance. “You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do, right?”

“Of course. It’d be breaking some kind of best mate code if I didn’t, yeah?” said Merlin.

“Too right,” Lance nodded. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later and see you when I see you, I suppose.”

“Later, Lance!” Merlin smiled before exiting Lance’s office and making his way over to his own.

When Merlin did everything that he needed done at the office, he decided to head on over to the supermarket in order to purchase what he needed for a steak dinner. There was plenty left over from the night before, but Merlin prided himself on always keeping his word and he did consent to a steak dinner to both Lizzy and Arthur sometime this week.

After last night, Merlin probably would have cooked Arthur anything he wanted. It was only through Arthur’s save that Merlin narrowly avoided having to speak more about his past. Merlin felt a little guilty about holding back, but there were just some things better left in the dark. He felt that maybe he would be able to tell them about it one day, but until that day, he’d rather not have to relive it. Ten years was still too soon.

Merlin headed towards the wine aisle to replenish his stock of emergency wine. Lost in thought, he almost barreled his shopping trolley into an elderly woman.

“Why I ought to— oh, Merlin, dear, it’s just you. You ought to watch where you’re going.”

“Oh, sorry Mrs. Kingsly,” said Merlin.

“Now, now, it’s _Ms_. and I told you to call me Dolma,” she said, while giving Merlin a slightly lecherous smile.

“Right. Of course,” said Merlin with a small nod.

“Ahem. Your trolley,” she said with an arch of her brow.

“Erm what?” questioned Merlin.

Just then, Dolma started to pull on the horribly tattered, black, gothic dress she was wearing, trying to set the tail of it free from under the trolley.

“Whoops! I’m so terribly sorry, Ms., I mean, Dolma. I’ll be sure to be more careful,” said Merlin, biting his lower lip. Before he could maneuver passed her, she gripped his elbow.

“My, my, who’s the special lad?” said Dolma, perusing through the items in Merlin’s cart.

“What? No, this isn’t for any one person, it’s for my family. You know Lizzy loves steak! Hang on, why did you say lad?” asked Merlin with both eyebrows raised.

“Nothing is hidden from the Dolma,” she said, tapping a finger to her nose.

Before Merlin could start to panic, thinking that he’d have to up and move to keep his family safe, she spoke again.

“Worry not, you gangly thing. Just continue dropping and picking up my dry cleaning as normal,” said Dolma, rubbing Merlin’s shoulder, and smiling that creepy smile of hers. “You know how much I like to avoid getting out of the house.”

When Merlin moved into his house a couple years ago, he went around meeting his neighbors and Dolma Kingsley took a rather uncomfortably swift liking to him. She was harmless enough not to warrant any real concern, so he would invite her over to tea once in a while with his kids. Not that he could help it. Everytime she came over for tea, she would steal a little something, claiming it was "my sureity!," so that he would invite her again one day. He doesn’t quite remember how he got roped into getting her dry cleaning for her, but he’s been doing it ever since.

“Of course, Dolma, you don’t even need to ask,” said Merlin.

“Very good. So sweet of you. You should just give in you know. Just plunge right in. With all your heart,” said Dolma, albeit very cryptically.

“What?” said Merlin, utterly confused.

“You’ll understand in due time,” she said, starting to walk away.

“Barmy old lady, always spewing cryptic shit,” mumbled Merlin to himself while shaking his head.

“What say you? Why do you mutter?” said Dolma out of nowhere.

Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. “Oh nothing! I was just saying to myself that I've forgotten the seasoning bit.”

“Oh, alright. Well, I’ll see you around, boy,” said Dolma, waving a bit awkwardly and then just waltzing away with a careless wave of her hand behind her.

This time, Merlin looked at her until she disappeared into another area of the store. Merlin grabbed four bottles of his favorite Red wine, and hurried to get home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really enjoyed writing that last bit. Was cackling all the way through. Thanks for all the continued kudos and comments, you lovely people! Until next week!
> 
> x


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana is on top of things, Leon gets the case moving along, and Merlin needs to work on his game.

It was nearing midnight, but Morgana was no closer to making up her mind. It wasn’t like her to be so indecisive about what she wanted to do. On the one hand, she desperately wanted to talk to Morgause like she initially planned to do, but on the other, she was wary. Wary of being cut deeper than she already had been with possible new discoveries.

She was sitting in her room with a bottle of wine that she stole from Uther’s cellar. It was an expensive bottle, but not enough to be missed. There was a little less than half of the bottle left, so she was regretting not taking another.

The day itself was still pretty good. She had a good morning, Gwaine was a god-send for once, and Leon had a couple of leads on the case. She had Mordred go home with Merlin, something that happened so often it would not cause suspicion, so that she could go straight to Uther’s for dinner after work.

That conversation actually went a little better than she thought it would. Save Uther’s near apoplexy at the end of her succinct summary, she had managed to wrangle a promise from him not to do anything. She told him how important it was for her to do this on her own. She’d been in the dark one too many times when other people were the ones investigating and she couldn’t risk it this time.

The only reason why he agreed was because she graciously allowed him to go on with a perfunctory background check on Morgause and she promised she would go to him if she needed help. That was Morgana’s last resort, of course, but she couldn’t deny the fact that Uther had a vast network of resources that could be used to her advantage. Still, she felt like it was only right to let Morgause explain everything to her first. Morgana felt she was always fair, and taking that chance away from Morgause would be anything but.

During a somber dessert, Morgana had to assure him with some authority that it was not Uther’s fault. It was a bit unnerving to see him so wracked with guilt.

“I should have looked into the matter more thoroughly, Morgana. I feel as though I have done you a great disservice,” said an anguished Uther.

“No, Uther, it was not your place to think that the information that you were given back then wasn’t to be trusted,” answered Morgana.

“But I still should’ve checked that your fath—”

“No. Just. _You_ are my father, Uther—”

“And you are my daughter!” said Uther, getting up to pace the floor. “Long before we all found out that you were, in fact, my actual blood! I should have done more. It would have been so easy too! Look, I know I haven’t been the best father to you and Arthur, but—”

“Stop it. You’re my father and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. You’ve made me strong and independent and I won’t have you feeling unnecessary guilt,” said Morgana, with a soft yet firm voice.

“Morgana—”

“Shut up.” said Morgana, standing up and walking over to a weary Uther. She enveloped him in a hug and said the words she wouldn’t be able to say with a steady voice had she been looking at his face. “I love you, dad.”

Uther slumped a little and returned the embrace.

“Now, I’m going to get back home,” said Morgana, releasing the embrace. “I took a cab here so I can take my car back. Don’t worry about me. No need to walk me out either. Go ahead and go into your office for your nightcap. I know you’re dying to get your hands on some whiskey. But before you drink any, I’m going to tell Gaius to check over your vitals.”

“I thought I was the parent here,” said Uther with a wry smile.

“Of course you are. Now, go on to your office. And don’t you dare spend the night wallowing in self-pity and unwarranted guilt,” gently chided Morgana.

“Alright. Drive safe, Morgana and always be careful. Even more so now,” said Uther with a wince.

“I’m always careful,” said Morgana with a smile. With that, she left him to go find Gaius. After asking him to look after Uther, she sneaked off to the wine cellar before heading over to Merlin’s to pick up her son.

Now here she was, sitting on her bed, drinking wine straight from the bottle while trying to make a decision about when to talk to Morgause. It’s only been a couple days, but to Morgana, it felt like she’d been holding off talking to Morgause for a couple of weeks. With a sigh, Morgana re-corked the wine bottle, and got out of bed. She decided to make herself a cup of tea before sleeping on it.

When Morgana walked into the kitchen, she didn’t expect to see Morgause there making herself a cup of tea as well.

“Couldn’t sleep?” asked Morgana before she could stop herself.

Morgause glanced over her shoulder to see Morgana and pulled out another mug.

“No, I usually sleep late. I’m working on one of the leads from today,” said Morgause, getting out another tea bag for Morgana.

“Morgause?” said Morgana, a little quietly.

At that, Morgause turned around and gave her full attention to Morgana.

“I have a dinner meeting to attend in place of my brother tomorrow, so I’ll be back late,” said Morgana.

“Oh. Thank you for letting me know,” said Morgause.

Morgana thought she saw a little disappointment in Morgause’s face, but Morgana was no longer attune to her sister’s facial expressions so her guess was as good as any.

“Will Mordred be here for dinner?” asked Morgause.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him. I’ll leave him with Merlin,” said Morgana, wondering whether she should just ask Gwen to watch him.

“Okay. If that’s all, I’ll say goodnight,” said Morgause, sliding Morgana’s cup of tea to her. Before she could fully exit the kitchen, Morgana spoke up.

“Morgause?”

“Yes?” said Morgause, stopping, but not turning around.

“I would like it if we could have dinner on Wednesday. Just the two of us. I feel like we’re overdue for a long talk,” said Morgana.

At that, Morgause turned around and gave Morgana a small smile. “I’d like that. Whether you’re ready to talk or not, dinner would be lovely. Wednesday it is. Goodnight, Morgana.”

“Goodnight,” replied Morgana. She felt proud of herself for handling that as smoothly as she did. She picked up her mug and headed up the stairs. Before she entered her room again, she saw a faint light in Mordred’s room. She opened the door to see Mordred lying on his stomach, reading something on his netbook.

“Mordred, love, it’s late. You should have been asleep a couple of hours ago,” Morgana gently chided.

“Mum, wait. I’m almost done with this book. Just a few more pages, I swear,” said Mordred, not even glancing up from his netbook.

Morgana fondly shook her head. She found it amusing that Mordred actually acted his age when it came to books. She decided to wait a few minutes before she had to resort to taking the netbook from her son. After a couple of minutes, however, Mordred closed his netbook.

“Okay, I’m done,” said Mordred with a satisfied smile.

“Already? I thought you said you had a few more pages,” said Morgana.

“I did and now I’m done,” said Mordred.

“I’ve forgotten what a speed reader you are,” said Morgana, putting her mug aside to tuck Mordred in.

“Aren’t I a bit too old to be getting tucked in?” said Mordred with an amused look on his face.

“Never too old for me. I’ll continue to do this every chance I get before you start complaining about it,” said Morgana with a grin. “Anyway, what were you reading that had you in such complete rapture?”

“The third Harry Potter book. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” said Mordred with a slight blush.

“Ah, so Percy finally convinced you to read the series, did he?” smirked Morgana.

“Yes, he did. He refuses to let me see the movies otherwise. I was never really that interested, but Percy, Kay, and Lizzy all love the series and movies so much, I thought it was about time I saw what all the fuss was about,” said Mordred with a shrug.

“Oh, speaking of Merlin’s lot. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow during dinner and then I’m having a one-on-one dinner with Morgause on Wednesday. On which day do you want to be at Uncle Merlin’s and Aunt Gwen’s?” asked Morgana.

“Which one is going to take longer,” Mordred asked.

“Wednesday dinner,” said Morgana without hesitation.

“Okay, I’ll stay with Aunt Gwen tomorrow and then with Uncle Merlin on Wednesday. Feel free to take your time. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I have to spend the night,” said Mordred, all too innocently.

“Sneaky. You think I’ll let you sleepover on a school night?” said Morgana with an eyebrow raised.

“I’m just trying to be mindful of whatever it is you need to talk about with Morgause. If it so happens that it takes a really long time, I’m just saying that I don’t mind having to spend the night at Uncle Merlin’s,” countered Mordred.

Morgana let out a laugh at that. “Of course you don’t mind. How very thoughtful of you. We’ll see. Now get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, mum,” said Mordred with a cheeky grin. Morgana kissed her son on the forehead, picked up her mug, and exited the room. It was rather a good ending to her good day.

*

Back at the office, Leon went over his team’s reports. They had a total of five suspects lined up, so it was Leon’s job to narrow that down. He wanted to speak to Agravaine Dubois, but Morgana said he wouldn’t be back until midweek, so Leon would have to hold off on that. Looking at the list of names he compiled, he was debating his options.

1 Alvarr Crysti - a very disgruntled employee  
2 Alined Deorham - a greedy board member  
3 Enmyria Quiggly - suspicious receptionist/possible girlfriend to Alvarr  
4 Cerdan Bond - The “suspicious” coffee stall owner outside the building   
5 Gemma Cailleach - Head of the custodial staff

Leon didn’t know whether any of these leads would end up anywhere, but he had to try. He already mentally scratched off Cerdan Bond. Valiant said he was twitchy and nervous, but when Leon went to go see for himself, he discovered that Cerdan suffered from anxiety and that muscle twitches were a heavy symptom of it. Still, whether or not Leon had a strong feeling or not, background checks were still needed to rule people out.

Just then, Leon’s phone rang.

“DI Knight”

“Hullo, Leon! Jonas in Interrogation room 3 for you.”

“Ellie? What are you still doing here? I thought you’d be long gone by now”

“The annual check-up takes the whole day. I do have quite a few horses,” Ellie said with a sigh.

“Right, well, alright. Cheers,”

“Bye!”

Leon was debating whether or not he should ask Jonas about the possible suspects. He supposed he had plenty of time and should probably concentrate on getting something concrete out of him first. That decided, he got up from his desk and headed towards the interrogation rooms. He met Morgause in the office behind the double sided mirror.

“Leon.” she said with a nod.

“Morgause. Everything alright?” asked Leon.

“Yes. I think you should go at this alone. Going by the last couple of times that I spoke with him, I don’t think he deals well with women,” Morgause mused.

“If you’re sure,” said Leon.

“I am. I’d rather evaluate his reactions and responses from here,” said Morgause.

“Alright. Anything in particular you want me to ask?”

“Yes. Ask this question at the very end,” said Morgause, handing Leon a yellow envelope. “Don’t open it unless he gives you nothing. Go with our usual M.O.”

“Alright, will do.” Leon took the enveloped and left the room. He opened the door right next door and stepped into the room.

“Before we get started, do you wish to call on your lawyer,” Leon said.

“No point is there. He was pretty much useless the last time. Get on with it, then,” replied a surly Jonas.

“Right. Mr. Whitley, you’ve already let it be known that you aren’t working alone. So who are you working with?” asked Leon.

“I’m not going to make it that easy for you, you dirty copper,” snarled Jonas.

“I can help lower the amount of time you’ll spend in prison, if you help us, Mr. Whitley,” said Leon, patiently. “Whoever you’re working for didn’t do a very good job covering your tracks. For example. The mysteriously destroyed hospital records from five years ago? We have them in full.”

Jonas’ eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he composed himself. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Horseshit.” Leon mentally slapped himself on the head for letting Ellie sneak horses into his head. “Besides that, you were literally caught in the scene. You assaulted a PC, shot another one, and attempted a break-in to the Pendragon Estate, not including the times you did manage to get in. You see, we have more than enough on you, to put you away for a long time.”

“What if I was just referring to myself in the third person, eh? Who says I actually work for someone other than myself, pig!” yelled Jonas with more bravado than anything else.

“Katrina is no longer here. Who are you trying to protect?” said Leon.

That got Jonas on his feet. “Don’t you dare say that name to me, filth! You have no right to even utter that name!”

Seeing as he wasn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon, he figured it would be a good time to open the envelope. Following their usual M.O., he calmly unclasped the envelope and slowly pulled out the paper. Leon faked the “I didn’t want to go there” sigh and slowly got up to lean against the wall.

“We know about Adam, Mr. Whitley,” said Leon.

Jonas paled considerably at that and sat back down, defeated. Leon had to school himself from reacting. He really needed to learn how Morgause got her information sometimes.

“What do you want to know,” croaked Jonas.

“Everything you can tell me,” said Leon.

“I don’t got any names. I just got instructions from a burner phone. I got a new one every week with instructions from someone with the code name witchfinder,” said Jonas with a bowed head.

“How did you get the new phone every week?” asked Leon.

“P.O. box 81723 in the Cave District,” said Jonas, lifting his head up, “and that’s all I can tell you. Please. Please, don’t drag Adam into any of this.”

“Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Whitley. That will be all for now.” Leon gave him a little nod and left the room. A little confused, he went to Morgause.

“Who’s Adam?” said Leon, as soon as he entered the room next door.

“Katrina’s brother. Turns out Jonas has unrequited feelings for him. Being Katrina’s lover was just a ruse. I have a strong suspicion that Uther’s heart attack is not to be blamed on Jonas, but Adam. Jonas is covering for him and whoever this witchfinder is, figured that out and blackmailed Jonas into these recent crimes.” said Morgause.

“Mate, Do I even want to know how you found this out?” said Leon, impressed with his partner.

“Probably not. The less you know the better. Just trust that nothing I did was illegal,” said Morgause with a small smile.

“Never,” Leon smiled back. “Look, Morgause? About Morgana…”

Morgause’s smile faded instantly into a cool pokerface. “Yes?”

“Don’t be mad, but I sort of told her about your transfers. Nothing in great detail, but skeleton facts of the time I’ve known you,” said Leon.

“You had every right, don’t worry about it,” said Morgause, a bit curtly.

“I know you’re upset, but I just didn’t want her to jump to conclusions. I was just looking out for you,” said Leon.

“I don’t need you to look out for me. But like I said, don’t worry about it,” said Morgause.

“Oh, come on Gorlois, don’t pull that shite with me. You’re my partner, and my mate, we said no more lies after we went through hell on that Medhir case!” Leon said, trying not to raise his voice.

“What do you want me to say? That I’m frustrated that my sister won’t talk to me? That I regret a lot of things, but not that? I needed that time,” said Morgause. She wasn’t even close to yelling, but he heard it very loudly all the same.

“No, just don’t close yourself off so much. And definitely don’t lie to me. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I think Morgana is smart enough to understand that you needed the time, don’t you? Look, it’s only been a couple of days. I know you just want to rip the bandaid off now that you’re ready, but let her be ready too. Stop second-guessing yourself,” said Leon.

Morgause regarded Leon with an evaluating look. “Okay.”

“Okay?,” Leon said a little incredulously. “That’s it? Just okay?”

“Yes. Okay. Unless you need to say anymore? You and Morgana—”

“Nope. That was it. Back to work. I’ll email half the list of suspects for you to look into. See you later!” said Leon and hurried out of the room. Morgause was absolutely brilliant at reading people and he did NOT want to have those keen eyes trained on him. He didn’t really know what he felt about Morgana, but he’d rather find out for himself rather than have Morgause spell it out for him.

*

On his way home from the supermarket, Merlin got a call. He let his car pick it up on bluetooth and answered as soon as it connected.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Merlin, it’s Lucan. Are you home yet? I’m about to leave mine to fix your monitor,”

“Good timing! I’ll be home in about ten minutes. Did you eat yet?

“No, I haven’t, was going to just grab something on the way to the office,” said Lucan.

“Nonsense, I have a lot of food at home. You can either eat there or I can make you a lunch pack,” said Merlin.

“Have I married the wrong Emrys?” Lucan laughed.

“Easy there, Merls, I’m his wife, not you,” said a teasing voice.

“Hullo, Freya. I can’t help it if I’m popular,” chuckled Merlin, “are you going to be coming too?”

“No, but I’ll be over sometime Wednesday to work on your garden,” said Freya.

“Cheers. See you then. And Lucan, I’ll see you shortly,” said Merlin.

“Be there in a half hour tops! Seeya!” said Lucan and disconnected the call.

As Merlin pulled into the driveway and opened the garage, he contemplated whether he’d be able to make the trip from his car to the house in one go with all the groceries. Thinking about his precious wine, he decided with two trips. Once he parked, he opened the boot and looked at his purchases. Merlin found that he wanted to surprise everyone with the steak dinner, so he grabbed everything he bought for that, and stowed it into the second refrigerator that was kept in the garage.

Afterwards, all that was left to take into the house was his messenger bag, the bottles of wine, and a few other groceries. To be safe, Merlin opened his messenger bag, stuffed the bottles of wine in them, carefully placed the bag unto his shoulder, and carried the rest of the groceries in one hand. He closed the boot with his free hand and took a breath before hauling everything to the door. Once he pressed the password into the key lock, he stepped through and closed the door behind him.

He placed the groceries on the island and took a look around. His home was seemingly in one piece so he nodded to himself in silent approval. As he turned around to grab the wine bottles, Kilgarrah zipped passed his legs and Merlin lost his balance. He had a brief moment to think _this is how I die_ , before he felt a strong chest behind his back and hands grasping his biceps.

“Tell me, _Mer_ lin, are you always this clumsy?” said Arthur, a little too close to Merlin’s ear.

“Yes? I mean no. It was Kili. I’m sure you could understand,” said Merlin, straightening himself out.

He saw Arthur shudder a little. “Yes, all too well. Huh. Is there something you’re trying to tell me, Merlin? Are you a budding alcoholic?”

Merlin followed Arthur’s gaze to his open and bulging messenger bag with the bottles of wine stuffed inside.

“Ahh, that. No. I was just restocking my emergency wine. I was going to give you the access code to the cellar in thanks for saving me, but if all you’re—”

“Nope, nope. I saved you. Password, please?” said Arthur in a rush.

“Wow, I get a ‘please’ from you? Alright. On one condition though. Try not to get drunk in front of my kids,” said Merlin.

“I’ll do my best. Where is this emergency stash anyway?” said Arthur, looking around.

Merlin sighed and got on his knees. He opened a nondescript panel under the kitchen island and punched in the password. There were two beeps and a compartment slid open.

“I’m impressed Emrys. Go on then, what’s the password?” said Arthur, kneeling down next to Merlin.

As Merlin started putting the wine inside the miniature wine cellar, he let out a sigh. “What are the chances that you won’t laugh at my password?”

“Well, the last password you had was twatwaffle,” said Arthur with a raised eyebrow.

“Right. Well, I had to make one that my kids would never guess…” said Merlin.

“Out with it, Merlin.” said Arthur.

Merlin mumbled the password.

“Speak up. I didn’t get that,” said Arthur with a twitch of his lips, showing full well that he, in fact, did hear Merlin.

“I said asstastic, you prat!” said Merlin with a long-suffering sigh.

Arthur let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, Merlin. That is so gay!”

“It’s a movie reference and I was drunk! And so what. Do you have a problem with gay people?” Merlin asked with a frown.

“No, I’m quite the flexible man when it comes to my choice of partner,” said Arthur with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Merlin tried his best not to blush. Was Arthur flirting with him?

“Good. I mean. Good that you don’t have a problem with it. I happen to swing both ways too,” said Merlin and immediately wished the floor would open up and swallow him. _Swing both ways?? Gods what am I saying?_

Arthur gave him an appraising look. Merlin quickly closed the compartment and got up. The doorbell rang as soon as he did. Merlin rushed on over to the door to take a look at the peephole.

“It’s only Lucan, you can stay put,” said Merlin opening the door.

Before Lucan could open his mouth for a greeting, Merlin quickly said, “You’re timing is on point today, you have no idea. Now shut up and act normal.”

“Uhh, umm okay? Hello,” said Lucan, closing the door behind him. “You must be Arthur Pendragon. DS Lucan Everett.”

Arthur shook his hand. “I am. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m going to be keeping watch of the neighborhood while you’re here. It’s just for a precaution, as Leon must have told you guys already. Call me if you need anything,” said Lucan, giving his card to Arthur.

“Do you know whether or not I’ll be able to get some of my own clothes yet?” asked Arthur.

“No, I don’t, but I’m heading back to the Met to speak with Leon right after I’m done here, so I’ll go ahead and ask for you,” said Lucan.

“I appreciate that,” said Arthur.

“So, what wrong with the monitor, Merls?” asked Lucan.

“I’ve no idea. But I’m pretty sure I made it worse trying to fix it. Well, you do your thing, and I’ll put together your lunch pack. Gwen came over yesterday with enough food to feed a small village,” said Merlin, walking to the kitchen.

“She’s an angel, that one. An angel with a shiv for a halo,” chuckled Lucan. “Alright, I see the problem. Shouldn’t take me too long.”

“Cheers! For that, I’ll pack you an extra muffin,” said Merlin from the kitchen.

“Oi, I’m trying to get into shape, here. Plus, Freya will be jealous,” said Lucan. Merlin could hear him rummaging through his tool box.

“Oh, I’ve already saved her a muffin for when she comes over Wednesday, you’re in the clear,” shouted Merlin, loud enough to be heard from across the kitchen.

“Did I seriously marry the wrong Emrys?” joked Lucan.

“Nah, you’re fit, but you’re not my type, mate. Too straight and too sneaky!” laughed Merlin.

“Sneaky? What’s that supposed to mean?” scoffed Lucan.

“It means that I would never be able to get away with anything. That and you’re perfect for Freya. Seriously. If you weren’t already married to each other and you tried to pull, I think I would go out with you, just so I can convince you to go out with Freya.” Merlin laughed with a crinkle in his eyes.

Merlin didn’t miss how Arthur was staring back and forth between his exchange with Lucan. He hoped Lucan was too concentrated on his work to notice either. He put everything into a brown bag and went over to where Lucan was.

“Alright then, that should about do it,” said Lucan, closing up the monitor and pressing a couple buttons. The screen came back into view, looking cleaner than ever. “Just some wiring issues. That for me?”

“Yep. I’ve also added a bottle with protein powder in there. Just add the bottle of water to it when you’re ready for it,” said Merlin, handing him the paper bag.

“I thought you said lunch pack, not miniature picnic,” said Lucan. “You’re as bad as Gwen. Have you added an apple in here so that I can give it to Leon, or what?”

“Why? Do you think he’d want an apple? I have some,” said Merlin.

“He’s making fun of you, Merlin,” said Arthur with what could be argued as a fond shake of the head.

Lucan just chuckled. “Cheers for this Merls. I’ll be going now. Good to meet you, Arthur.”

Arthur nodded his head at Lucan. Merlin just rolled his eyes and pushed Arthur back from view of the door.

“What—”

“I’m going to open the door. You can’t be seen, remember?” said Merlin.

“Ahem, right,” said Arthur. He turned around and walked into the kitchen.

“You going to be alright with that one?” asked Lucan.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” said Merlin, opening the door.

“More than fine, I’d say,” said Lucan with a smirk.

“Shut up!” Merlin whispered, checking behind his back. “Don’t you dare start.”

“Ah, so I’m not the only one thinking—”

“No. I mean, yes you are. Just go away. Go do your copper duty with your cop stuff and leave me out of it,” said Merlin.

“Alright, alright. Let me know if anything happens. The slightest suspicion of something, call or text me.” said Lucan, more seriously this time.

“I will. You have my word,” said Merlin in earnest.

“Okay, be _safe_!” teased Lucan before he left, closing the door behind him on Merlin's indignant squawk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I won't be here next week! I'm on a week long holiday so I won't be able to update. Because of that, the week after, I'll do a double chapter update! So until then!
> 
> x


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domesticity can be a sneaky thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, chapter summaries are almost as hard to come up with as titles at this point.

It was the middle of the week and Arthur was feeling pretty good. Leon dropped off a duffel bag of Arthur’s own clothes the day before, there were no crazy journos trying to invade the workplace—Arthur definitely owed Gwaine drinks for that—and everything for his leaving the company was still in order. He even managed to hire Merlin for his building.

Merlin was another matter altogether. Arthur couldn’t help but flirt with him every chance he got. He had to admit that making Merlin flustered became a daily goal of his. However, he was approaching new territory. Arthur was sure that he’d slept with plenty of people who had kids—whether he knew about them or not—but never anyone where he actually knew the kids, themselves.

Then there was the other problem of Morgana and Gwen. He knew that if he had a one night stand with Merlin, whether Merlin agreed to it or not, they would rip Arthur’s head off and chew him out. Arthur rather liked where his head was and wanted to keep it there as long as he could.

Still, Arthur knew that Merlin wouldn’t just become one of his many “conquests,” but then again, Arthur didn’t do relationships. He didn’t want to ruin his good mood by dwelling on it, so he decided not to.

Arthur finished writing up an email to Pellinore, telling him he officially hired Emrys & DuLac Architecture, and that he’d be working with them for the duration of this week. Arthur didn’t want to focus on anymore office matters until he was actually present in the office. He’d read Morgana’s email in the morning that the meeting with Helios Security went extremely well the other night, so he was relaxed.

Looking at the time on the computer screen, it was just past noon and Arthur’s stomach growled as if right on schedule. He sent the email and left the computer room. As he exited the conjoining playroom, he saw Merlin exit his office and head towards the kitchen.

“Ahh, excellent timing, Merlin. Make me lunch, I’m starving,” said Arthur.

“Not actually your servant, prat,” said Merlin, pulling out two plates anyway. Then, Merlin opened the refrigerator to take out whatever he needed to make sandwiches.

“Well, you do work for me now,” said Arthur with a grin, “So what’s the plan for today?”

That just earned him an eyeroll. “Plan? What plan?” asked Merlin with a slightly confused frown.

“Well, something’s been happening every day since I got here. Sunday, well, was _Sunday_ ,” said Arthur trying to encapsulate everything that happened that day with his emphasis, “and then Lucan and Mordred was Monday, Leon and my clothes were yesterday, so what’s it today?”

“Oh. Erm, in that case, Mordred is coming for dinner so Morgana can talk with Morgause,” said Merlin, sharing a look with Arthur, confirming they both had thoughts about that, “and Freya is coming over in a couple of hours to tend to the garden.”

“Right. The other Emrys. Should I be worried? Do I need to prepare in anyway?” asked Arthur.

“What do you mean by that?” asked an amused Merlin, cutting the sandwiches in half.

“Just. I’m remembering our spectacular first meeting. Normally I wouldn’t worry because I can charm the pants off of anybody,” said Arthur with a suggestive eyebrow raise, “but seeing as you’re related to each other, I may accidentally insult her.”

Merlin’s eyes were full of mirth. “How considerate of you. No, just be your usual charming self. You should be fine,” said Merlin, making the word sound anything but.

So that didn’t work in making Merlin blush. The day wasn’t over yet. “Does she have any brats of her own?”

Suddenly, the smile on Merlin’s face became forced.

“I don’t know how you do it. Maybe it’s just a weird connection. How you pick the one thing that—never mind,” said Merlin with a sigh. “Freya can’t have kids. So, definitely don’t ask her about that. The only time you’re allowed to say anything about that, is if she brings it up in conversation, herself.”

“Right. Good thing I asked then. I’m surrounded by people with kids so I definitely would have asked her if I had to make any sort of small talk,” said Arthur, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, good,” said Merlin, picking up the two plates of sandwiches and taking them to the dining room table.

Arthur sat across him, not really knowing how to pick up the conversation again. Luckily, Merlin did.

“Okay, so let’s talk about your new company. Tell me your vision for it and let this lunch meeting begin,” said Merlin with a smile.

Arthur was all too grateful for the topic change. This, he could go on and on about.

*

Leon forgot how taxing yet simple high profile cases could be. He had to make sure that no one fucked up, but he was able to get results faster. He crossed off half the suspects on his list and he was starting to get somewhere with this mysterious Witchfinder.

Turned out that the Witchfinder was something akin to a criminal agency and that it would be extremely difficult to figure out whether their involvement was personal or if they were just the hired help.

“I’ve fallen into a fucking Sherlock universe haven’t I,” muttered Leon to himself.

“Too right. What kind of absolute bollocks is this?” said Owain from the desk across his.

“Didn’t realize you were still here. You should’ve gone home hours ago,” said Leon.

“You’re still here aren’t you. I’ll sleep when I’m dead and all that rot,” shrugged Owain.

“How’s your new partner? Barnes, was it?” chuckled Leon.

“She’s fine. A bit quiet, but I figure she’s shy or something. If I deem her worthy enough for one of our pub nights, I’m sure she’ll blossom out of that shell,” said Owain.

“Blossom... out of that shell?” said Leon trying not to crack up.

“Oh, piss off. It’s getting late. Maybe I will go home now, you ungrateful sod,” said Owain, good naturedly.

“Yeah, no, we should both head home. Attack whatever we’ve got with a fresh head tomorrow morning,” said Leon, shuffling some papers and files together.

“Alright. Well, on another note, better get on that bird-sorry, Morgana, quick before Valiant beats you to it,” remarked Owain.

“Valiant?” said Leon, slightly surprised.

“You saw that scumbag leering at her on Monday. He was bragging to everyone earlier that he managed to score drinks with her on Friday,” said Owain with a moue of disgust.

“Not professional,” Leon said with a slight scowl.

“S’what I said. But he said since he’s not the lead in the case, that there was wiggle room. Skeezy bastard,” said Owain.

“You know what? I’m not worried. She’ll probably eat him alive if he tries anything untoward,” said Leon with a wave of his hand.

“Aha! So you are planning something,” remarked Owain.

“Huh? No, I didn’t say that,” said Leon a little too quickly.

“No, no, no. If you really didn’t care, you’d be chastising Valiant about it. But seeing as you’ve already dismissed the idea, that means you’re planning on making a play for her too,” said Owain with a shit-eating grin.

“Everyone needs to stop guessing what I’m going to do and let me do whatever on my own time,” Leon groaned, “IF I decide to do anything.”

“Uh-huh. Right. See you tomorrow then, yeah? Just let me know if you need any help. I’m pretty fantastic with the ladies,” said Owain with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Oh, fuck off already!” said Leon with a twitch of his lips, crumpling a piece of scratch paper and chucking it at Owain’s head.

Owain easily dodged the paper ball and gave a rude two-fingered salute before leaving the office. Leon just shook his head, grabbed his keys and mobile from his desk, and headed towards his car. Whether or not he was going to do anything with Morgana, he had a duty to solve the case first. With that in mind, Leon headed home with a new determination for the next day.

*

“Yes, I can afford to get a bit drunk on a weeknight,” said Merlin a little bit tipsy from all the wine he was drinking. He couldn’t help it. He had a mini scare that day with Arthur almost being seen and now he was just worried about Morgana. He hoped everything was going well on her end.

“I still cannot believe you managed to tackle me,” huffed Arthur. “Although, I’m your boyfriend now, am I?”

“Shut uppp,” Merlin groaned. It was nobody’s fault really.

It was mid afternoon when Freya was using her key to get into the house. She didn’t realize that just as she was opening the door, one of the neighbors had snuck up behind her to say hello. Luckily Merlin was standing by the monitor in time to catch it. His eyes swept the room in a panic and saw Arthur standing by the island, admiring the schematics of the hidden wine cellar.

It was Merlin’s first instinct not to let Arthur be seen by anyone, so he did the only thing that he could think of. He tackled Arthur to the floor. The only thing anyone could see from the front door now, were the tangled feet of one Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys.

“Oh, my!!” said a delighted squeal. “Have I caught you at a bad time?”

Merlin just covered Arthur’s shocked mouth with his hand and frantically shook his head so Arthur would get it and shut up.

“Oh, Mrs. Sigan! I didn’t see you there,” said a nervous Freya. “That’s probably just Merlin and his new boyfriend. It’s in the early phases where you can’t help but jump each other everywhere and anywhere. Looks like they haven’t heard me at the door. Please excuse me, I’ll drop by for a chat later.”

With that, Freya closed the door and walked over to where Merlin was still lying on top of Arthur.

“Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry. She just snuck up on me, the nosy cow!” said Freya, a bit distressed.

“It’s okay,” said Merlin, letting out a shaky breath. He took another moment to just breathe and then took his hand off of Arthur’s mouth.

“Are you alright?” asked Arthur, with concern on his face.

Merlin then realized the position he was in more clearly. Merlin was lying on top of him with one hand now on the floor and the other still on Arthur’s chest. Arthur’s hands felt oddly at home, comfortably placed on Merlin’s hips. Merlin had to control his breathing so that things couldn't get any more awkward or embarrassing.

“Yeah. Yes. I’m fine,” said Merlin, carefully getting off of Arthur. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. Surprised that you were able to tackle me, but I’m still in one piece,” said Arthur. “You really would do anything for your kids, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” said Merlin, extending a hand to help Arthur up. “If that means no one is supposed to see your face, absolutely no one will.”

“Who was at the door anyway?” asked Arthur.

“The batty widow down the block. Mrs. Sigan. If she found out who you were, then the whole block would know you were here within the hour. She is the worst gossip ever. I’m Freya Everett by the way, Merlin’s sister,” said Freya, extending her arm out.

“Pleased to meet you. Arthur Pendragon,” said Arthur, shaking her hand.

“Oh, Merlin, are you sure you’re alright?” asked Freya, going over to hug him.

“Yes. Although I think I might need a drink,” said Merlin, shaking his head a little.

“Don’t you have to pick up the kids?” asked Freya.

“No, actually, I don’t. Mordred’s coming over so Morgana said she’d drop the lot off. I’m good to go for a drink,” said Merlin, walking over to get himself a stemless wine glass.

“Ah, allow me!” said Arthur, a little too eager.

Merlin saw Arthur get on his knees to open the hidden panel under the island and type in the password. He could have sworn he heard a little chuckle when the cellar slid open.

“He knows the password?!” asked an amused Freya. “I thought you said you just met him.”

“I did. We met for the first time on Saturday,” said Merlin.

“It took Gwen a whole month and Morgana two, to earn the password to that,” said Freya with an eyebrow raised.

Merlin snuck a glance at Arthur and could see the beginning of a surprised, but smug smirk on his face.

“Well, he did save me from an unfortunate fall that would have resulted in four broken bottles of wine, so he did earn it. And besides, it took Morgana so long because she basically cleans out my stash whenever she comes over with some kind of emergency.” said Merlin.

“At least she replenishes it from time to time,” said Freya.

“Point. Anyway, did you want something to eat before you get started out back? Oh! I saved you the last blueberry muffin,” said Merlin, heading towards the fridge.

“Cheers, Merlin. Pour me a half cup of milk to go along with it, please,” smiled Freya.

Just then, the doorbell rang exactly seven times.

“That’ll be the kids,” Merlin chuckled. “Kay said he’d ring it exactly seven times so we’d know full well who it was, never mind that the monitor was fixed days ago.”

When the door opened, Merlin quickly glanced to see that Arthur was in the kitchen, hidden from view. All his kids came in, throwing their backpacks on the couch before walking into the kitchen themselves.

“Drinking at 3 in the afternoon, Merlin?” asked Morgana with an eyebrow raised at Merlin first, then at Arthur, and then back to Merlin. “Do I even want to know?”

“Morgana!” said Freya, coming over to give her a hug. “It’s been a while.”

“It has, hasn’t it,” said Morgana, returning the hug. “Now, what has my brother done.”

“Oh, he didn’t do anything. A neighbor snuck up on me while I was opening the door and Merlin had to tackle him out of sight.”

“Is that true!?!” asked Kay, eyes wide.

“Yes, it is,” said Merlin.

“Perce! Perce! Dad saved a _spy’s_ life! Can you believe it. He’s a hero!” yelled Kay.

“I’m right here. I heard everything, Kay, no need to yell,” said Percy with an exasperated look on his face.

“Good job, daddy,” said Lizzy, hugging Merlin’s legs.

“Thanks, poppet,” said Merlin. “Now go sit at the table, I’ll bring out some snacks for you lot.”

“Are you okay?” asked Morgana.

“Yeah. Wine’s helping,” said Merlin, lifting up his glass.

“If you’re sure,” said Morgana, coming over to squeeze Merlin’s bicep in comfort.

“Yes, I am. How about you? You ready for tonight?” asked Merlin, opening up the fridge to take out some snacks.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Morgana.

“Look, if things get too much, you know you can come back here. The other guest room is free, and it’s not so out of the blue for you to do something like that,” said Merlin.

“Thanks, but whether it goes well or not, I’m going to try and stick it out. BUT,” said Morgana, stopping Merlin from speaking, “I’ll keep your offer in mind.”

“Okay, good,” said Merlin with a nod. “Arthur, can you carry this over to the kids, I’ll bring the beverages for them.”

“Sure,” said Arthur grabbing the tray full of snacks, but stopping by the still open refrigerator to grab Lizzy’s cheestrings.

“Oh, cheers, forgot about that one,” said Merlin, taking out some milk and juice. Merlin was grabbing some cups when he turned around and caught Morgana staring at him.

“What? Have I got something on my face?” asked Merlin, a little confused.

“I wish I filmed that,” said Morgana, with a twitch to her lip.

“Filmed what? The tackle? It wasn’t that spectacular,” said Merlin.

“No, you berk. Just now. You wouldn’t believe how domestic the two of you have already become. I didn’t think it was possible for Arthur, but miracles do happen,” said Morgana with a full on smirk.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” said Merlin, placing the beverages and cups on a tray and taking them to the dining table.

“Oh, I think you do,” Morgana yelled out after him with a chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I should have the next chapter posted by Friday!
> 
> x


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana and Morgause finally have The Talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, another chapter. Huzzah for double-chapter-update-week-whatever! Enjoy!

“So, I’m afraid that I do not cook. However, I have picked up some Italian food for us. Are you okay with that?” asked Morgause.

“Sure, I love Italian. I’ve got a bottle of wine for us,” said Morgana, lifting up her hand to show said bottle.

“You didn’t have to go out and buy wine, I have some here, but thank you,” said Morgause, grabbing the corkscrew from a drawer.

“It’s okay, I just stole one from Merlin. He has excellent taste in wine,” smiled Morgana.

“I’ve already laid out the food in the dining room table,” smiled Morgause, “go ahead and sit down. I’ll bring out the glasses.”

Morgana enjoyed the dinner with her half sister. It was fairly awkward at first, but they kept the talk light and about each other’s line of work, so the atmosphere became comfortable enough for the both of them.

“I’ve got gelato for dessert. Would you like some?” asked Morgause.

“Please, by all means,” said Morgana, topping up both of their wine glasses.

When Morgause left the table, Morgana braced herself with deep breaths. She could do this. She needed to do this.

“So, I don’t know how to begin this conversation, but I guess it would be easier if you just asked me questions. There is nothing I’ll keep secret from you Morgana, so don’t hesitate to ask,” said Morgause, placing a glass bowl of gelato in front of Morgana.

“Would it help any if I just ask you to tell me everything? From the beginning?” said Morgana.

“That could take some time,” said Morgause. “Are you sure? What about Mordred?”

“Right, let me just make a few quick calls,” said Morgana, getting up from the table.

Morgana dialed Merlin’s number and waited for him to pick up.

“Hullo? Everything alright, Morgs?” asked a concerned Merlin.

“Yeah, don’t worry. We haven’t even started that topic yet. I was just calling to ask if it’s alright if Mordred spends the night. I know it’s a school night—”

“Nonsense, I’ve got it handled here. Mordred told me to expect a call from you. He’s over by the dining room table, giving me a shit-eating grin,” said Merlin with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I should’ve known. Okay, well thanks, Merlin,” said Morgana, smiling at the thought of her son.

“Of course. Now, remember the offer still stands, even if you knicked one of my reds again,” said Merlin with a tease.

“I know. Thanks. I’ll talk to you later,” said Morgana with a fond shake of her head.

“Alright. Goodnight, dearie!” said Merlin, disconnecting the call.

Morgana stepped into the dining area once more and told Morgause that everything was set for Mordred and they had the rest of the night to talk.

*

“Alright. Goodnight, dearie!” said Merlin, disconnecting the call.

“Who was that?” asked Arthur, coming to stand by Merlin at the island.

“Gods! Arthur, don’t sneak up on a man like that,” said Merlin, pulling his half-full glass of wine to his chest.

Arthur just raised his eyebrows. “Don’t be an idiot, I didn’t sneak up on you. Anyway, who was that?”

“Morgana. She asked if it was okay if Mordred spent the night—”

“Ha! I told you! You owe me a sweet!” said Mordred to Percy at the dining table.

Percy grudgingly slid over a piece of candy.

“Wow,” said Arthur looking at the exchange.

“What is it?” asked Merlin.

“I’ve just never really seen him acting, well, his own age,” said Arthur.

“Mordred’s a special kid. It took him almost half a year to open up so fully, but I’m glad he did,” said Merlin, looking over at the kids.

Arthur hummed his agreement. “So, Freya seemed to like me.”

“She likes everybody,” said Merlin a little too quickly.

“Really? Then why did she pull me aside and make me swear to her not to break your heart?” smirked Arthur.

“What!?” gawped Merlin.

“Yep. Right before she left,” said Arthur.

“You’re lying,” said Merlin, still gawping.

“Okay, yeah, I am.” laughed Arthur.

“Such an ass!” muttered Merlin, taking a deep sip of his glass.

“So how long have you been in love with Morgana,” said Arthur. Trying to catch Merlin off guard.

Merlin started coughing heavily, so Arthur roughly slapped his back a couple times.

“Alright, alright! Don’t break my back,” said Merlin, clearing his throat. “First of all, I am not in love with Morgana.”

Merlin then went to get a glass of water. “Second of all, yes, I love Morgana, as if she were my sister. I am not _in love_ with her,” said Merlin, after gulping down half the glass.

Arthur felt himself relax at Merlin’s response. He felt a tension release that he didn’t realize was there in the first place.

“Relax, Merlin. I know. I was joking,” said Arthur.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re not funny. Like, at all?” said Merlin with a slight scowl.

“Nope,” said Arthur with a grin.

“I need more wine. Where did I put my glass. Where’s the bottle, no I’ll just open another one,” said Merlin walking to and fro in the kitchen.

Arthur grabbed Merlin’s glass and the already opened bottle. He poured out the rest of the wine in the glass and handed it to Merlin. “Here, Merlin. But, I’m putting my foot down after this. No opening a new bottle.”

Merlin opened his mouth and then closed it. He opened it again, but then closed it again.

“Spit it out, Merlin. Stop gaping like a fish,” said Arthur with an amused look on his face.

“Prat,” said Merlin, taking the glass of wine and trudging over to the couch.

Arthur could have sworn he heard a muttered “you’re not the boss of me” and stifled a laugh.

“So, what time is the brats’ curfew?” asked Arthur, taking a seat on the other end of the couch.

“9.” said Merlin, sipping on his wine.

“9? That’s so early!” remarked Arthur.

“They’re kids. They need the sleep. Besides, Lizzy won’t go to bed without a story, it takes Kay half an hour to actually go to sleep once he’s in bed, and since Mordred is over, I’m sure he and Percy will be up talking and scheming until I force them to sleep,” said Merlin with drooping eyes.

“It’s almost 8 right now. You think you’re up for putting all of them to bed?” asked Arthur.

“Of course! I’m a good fad. I mean dather. Father. Dad. Right. I’m going to make a cuppa. D’you want as well?” asked Merlin, shaking his head and bracing himself to get up.

“Why don’t I make it for us,” said Arthur already standing up.

“D’you know how to make it? S’rather nice. Not prattish at all,” smiled Merlin.

“And you’re drunk,” chuckled Arthur.

“Am not. Maybe just a little tipsy. I’m just tired. I’ve been told I’m, what was the phrase, ‘cracked out’ when I’m tired,” said Merlin, a bit too seriously for the subject matter.

Arthur barked out a laugh before he could stop himself. Drunk, nay tipsy, Merlin was way too endearing for his own good.

Arthur had to be careful not to get too attached, because he didn’t know what would happen. Arthur didn’t have some traumatic past that prevented him from having long-term relationships, he just never felt the need for one. He did, however, see the effects such relationships had on other people. He’s seen sweet people become cold and hard after a breakup and he’s seen the opposite, where hard people became soft after entering into a long-term relationship.

He didn’t know if he’d change for the better or worse, but the fact of it was, Arthur didn’t like not knowing what would happen. Therefore he just stayed away from it altogether. It was a little unsettling that Merlin could prove to be the game changer.

Arthur walked into the kitchen and filled the kettle with water. Then he turned it on and took out two mugs and two tea bags.

“How do you take your tea?” Arthur shouted from where he was standing.

“Daddy is sleeping,” said a small voice behind him.

“Oh, hello Lizzy,” said Arthur, turning around to face her.

“Since daddy is sleeping, does that mean you’re going to read to me tonight?” said Lizzy, a bit too excitedly.

“Erm, I wouldn’t want to take the fun from your dad,” said Arthur, a little awkwardly.

“Daddy reads to me every night, so one night will be okay,” smiled Lizzy.

“I’m afraid dad’s done in for the night,” said Percy walking from the couch. “I just checked on him and by the way he’s sleeping, he won’t wake up until tomorrow morning.”

“How do you know?” asked Arthur, a little confused.

“When dad’s mouth is open and he’s drooling, it’s a clear sign that he’s out. Any other type of sleeping position, he’d wake up just fine. It’s a bit like Lizzy, here. They sleep the same,” laughed Percy, ruffling his little sister’s hair.

“Perceeee, now I’ll have to brush my hair again!” said Lizzy, trying to hold back her giggles while mock-stomping over to her room.

“Where’s Kay?” asked Arthur.

“Mordred’s helping him wash up,” answered Percy.

“You lot have everything handled, don’t you,” asked Arthur, a little amazed.

“Pretty much. Dad just worries. A lot. But we know it’s because he loves us so it’s okay,” said Percy with a smile and a shrug.

“Anyway, I’ll go help Lizzy get ready. All you need to do is read to her. That and check on each of us before you help dad get to bed. He’ll like that you did that.”

“Err thanks?” said Arthur.

“Sure. Oh, I’d turn off the kettle now. Unless you still want tea,” said Percy.

“Yeah, I’ll be up a little longer,” said Arthur, putting away the cup and tea bag set aside for Merlin.

“Okay,” said Percy, walking off towards Lizzy’s room.

Arthur thought if he were to EVER have kids, he’d want them to be like the lot surrounding him. He then shook his head to banish the thought of kids and Merlin’s kids being like his possible kids—in the off chance he ever had them—to the deepest recesses of his mind.

*

“Are you telling me that you were seeing a dead guy for two weeks!?” snorted Morgana.

“Well, if you want to get technical, yes. But since we were fighting at the time, I didn’t actually see him for those two weeks,” said Morgause with what looked to be a confused little smile on her face.

“I’m sorry for laughing, but you have to admit, it’s pretty funny. And I don’t have a morbid sense of humor,” said Morgana, chortling into her wine.

Morgana was well on her way to being drunk. She wasn’t too sure about Morgause, but she had to be a little buzzed. They ended up opening two more bottles of wine after dinner and just talked about everything.

Morgause explained how after the accident, her father waited until she finished the school term before uprooting them to Gedref. She said it was difficult on him to be at their old house and she agreed with him. Living so far away and in a remote part of the countryside explained how Morgause never saw Morgana in the papers growing up. There was still the matter of the internet, but the fact that Morgause was pretty old fashioned when it came to technology, helped Morgana put those thoughts to rest.

Morgause told her how even though she was a small town detective, she was the best, so she got transferred to Essetir. It was a huge promotion that she couldn’t turn down because her father was sick. His health started to fail after Morgause graduated from police academy, so she ended up moving in with her father. When she brought up the move to him, he was hesitant, but the need for better healthcare won out in the end so they moved to Essetir.

Morgana was shocked to learn that the first thing Morgause did when she met Leon was to stab him. The senior detectives at Essetir wanted to haze the newbie so they kept sending her blow up dolls dressed as criminals. She was in the middle of stabbing them to deflate them when Leon came over to stop the hazing and introduce himself.

“He swore. A lot. But not a single tear was shed. That’s when I knew we’d get along,” smiled Morgause.

Morgana then learned of how Morgause got transferred to Camelot a month after her father died. By then, she had seen the will and was in shock. She moved to Camelot right away in order to get away from everything that reminded her of her father and found herself growing more and more bitter as the time went by.

Morgause told her how no one was willing to work with her, and by the time Leon was able to become her partner again, she realized she needed to go away in order to sort out her life. So she took a year off doing nothing but meditating and keeping herself sane. She told Morgana that she didn’t even allow herself to see whether or not Morgana was still alive, not before she could hold herself in check. Once she was confident of herself, she returned to work.

“I used the years afterwards learning up on you. Seeing and reading up on all the things that I missed,” said Morgause with a sad smile. “I was going to go to you right away, but then I found out you had a kid and then I knew I had to wait for the right time.”

Morgana just nodded her head as she was taking in all of this new information.

“There were times that I almost convinced myself that it would be better if I just let you live your life. You seemed happy. I didn’t want to take that away from you. But I realized how unfair that was. I really don’t like the phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’ because I know damn well, that I would not appreciate being left in the dark,” said Morgause with a firm voice.

“As do I,” said Morgana, lifting her glass in agreement before taking a rather large gulp.

Seeing how Morgana was already caught up on the story after that, they started to share pieces of their lives, of both silly and serious moments. And here they were now, relaxed and talking comfortably as the way it should have been.

“Did you ever find out who Mordred’s father was?” asked Morgause.

“Nah. I couldn’t give two shits about whoever it is. Was. Whatever,” said Morgana with a wave of her hand.

“I could find out for you, if you want,” said Morgause.

“It’s been almost a decade. How could you possibly do that?” laughed Morgana.

“I have my ways,” said Morgause with a mischievous grin.

“Now, now! There’s the fun sister I remember. You should bring her out more often,” cheered Morgana. “But no. Uther already offered to do that long before, but like I told him. If I can’t even remember the bloke who got me pregnant, he is not worthy of being Mordred’s father. There was no love involved, so no love lost.”

“If you’re sure,” said Morgause with a meaningful stare.

“I am. You know I almost convinced Merlin that he was the father of my child?” said Morgana, remembering with childish glee.

“Really?” said Morgause with both eyebrows raised.

“Oh yeah. I was with Merlin, trading drunk horror stories and managed to almost get him. Well, okay, we were both a bit drunk. It wouldn’t have worked if he was sober. Merlin would never cheat on anyone. But like I said, we were drunk. He more than I,” chuckled Morgana.

“Well, come on. Tell me the story,” said Morgause, eyes full of mirth.

“I just started to say some rubbish like ‘isn’t it odd how Mordred looks like the perfect combination of the both of us?’ all innocent like. Merlin just laughed and agreed. Then I started to plant all these other ideas. Things like ‘holy shit, Merlin. You said you’ve blacked out on occasion. What if it was you? What if you really are Mordred’s dad??’ You had to have been there to fully appreciate his reaction,” Morgana laughed, wiping a single tear away. “One minute he was like, ‘Morgana, I swear I’ll take care of the both of you. I take full responsibility!’ then his face scrunched up in confusion and he blurted ‘Wait! I didn’t go clubbing then. Percy was just a babe. What?’ and then he looked like a lost pup and asked me with the most adorable face ‘did I cheat on Mith?? Noooo, I know I didn’t’”

Morgause was chuckling along to the story, sipping on her own glass.

“Then Merlin stood up and then turned around to look at me laughing. Called me an evil, harping harpy on a throne of lies before yelling that he’d never even been to Mercia,” said Morgana, finishing her story.

“Merlin is a special person to you, isn’t he,” said Morgause with a fond smile.

“Yes. He and Gwen. When this is all over, or even before then, it doesn’t really matter, I’d love for you to meet them,” Morgana said, smiling back.

“I would love that. Okay, let me make us both a cup of tea to help settle our stomachs. Then we should get to bed. It’s nearly midnight,” said Morgause.

“Still the responsible sister. Okay, good idea. Normally, I’d just call in sick, but seeing as Arthur isn’t at work and Agravaine is back tomorrow, I have to be there,” said Morgana with a sigh.

“You don’t like him?” asked Morgause.

“Well, not that I don’t, but yeah okay, I don’t really like him. He’s Arthur’s mother’s brother, so their isn’t any blood relation to him that makes me feel obligated to like him. Besides, he’s a bit of an unsavory type of person,” responded Morgana. She didn’t want to think of having to deal with him when she was having a good time.

“Problems for tomorrow,” Morgana smiled. “I’ll make the tea, you go ahead and wash the wine glasses.”

“Shoving the chores at the eldest sibling?” said Morgause with an eyebrow raise.

“Yes. Arthur did that to me all the time growing up. I have to admit, it does feel a little good,” said Morgana with a smile. “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Indeed, I do,” said Morgause with a slight chuckle and fond shake of her head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing that. Thanks for all your continued comments and kudos. You guys are a lovely bunch! Until next week!
> 
> x


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected turn in the case.

Merlin woke up to a gentle shaking.

“Dad. Daddy. Daaaaaad!”

“Hmm? Whuzzat? Whuzzhappnin,” said a half-awake Merlin.

“I’m hungry,” said Lizzy.

Merlin sat up in bed—and when did he get to bed?—staring at his clearly, very awake daughter.

“Sweetie, you know you shouldn’t eat before bed,” said Merlin, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

“Bed? I was already in bed. I’m talking about breakfast, silly daddy,” giggled Lizzy.

“Breakfast?” said a confused Merlin. He then looked over at the clock on his nightstand. It was Thursday and there was half an hour before he needed to get his kids to school. That also meant that he had less than fifteen minutes to feed his lot plus one.

“Bugger!” swore Merlin, jumping out of bed. He was in the same clothes as last night, but that didn’t matter to him. He spared a glance at his giggling daughter and rushed to the loo. “I know, I’ll add a pound. I’ll just be a minute, love, just go out to the kitchen.”

Merlin quickly brushed his teeth and splashed water over his face. He looked at himself in the mirror, thought it was good enough, and rushed out.

Mordred, Percy, and Kay were all sitting at the dining room table, eating cereal, while Lizzy was sitting next to Arthur at the island.

Merlin rushed over and opened the refrigerator. “What would you like, dear?”

“Bacon!”

“Bacon.”

Merlin grabbed the bacon and closed the fridge. He got out the large, flat skillet and paused. Did he hear two voices? He glanced back and saw Lizzy giving Arthur a high five. Merlin was about to say something, when Arthur slid over a mug of coffee.

“Yes, dears, coming right up!” said Merlin, grabbing the coffee, trying not to burn himself as he practically inhaled it. He then opened the bacon, grabbing some eggs as well. Scrambled eggs and bacon it was.

After a quick breakfast, Merlin grabbed his wallet and keys and left to take the kids to school.

In the car, he realized that Arthur must have put him to bed. Merlin felt himself flush a little at that. He turned to his eldest in the passenger seat. “So, what happened last night, Perce?”

“Nothing much. After you fell asleep, Mordred helped Kay get ready while I helped Lizzy. Then Arthur read to Lizzy and helped you get to bed,” said Percy.

“Cheers, Mordy!,” said Merlin, looking at Mordred through his rear view mirror and got a smile in return. “And that’s all that happened?”

“Show him!!” yelled Kay, a bit too ecstatic in the morning.

“Show me what?” said Merlin, pulling up to the school parking lot. He had five minutes to spare.

“I recorded a video of Arthur reading to Lizzy,” said Percy, pulling out his phone.

“Percy, I gave you that phone because you’re the oldest and I know you to be very responsible,” Merlin said in warning.

“Don’t worry, dad. I only use it to call you and play with some of the apps. But anyway, Mordred heard a weird noise getting a glass of water and so he came to get me. He told me to bring my phone just in case, and this is how we got this,” said Percy, excitedly playing the video.

“No, no, no, it has to be higher. Yes. Like that! Okaayyy go!” said an excited Lizzy.

A bit confused, Merlin took the phone out of his son’s hand to get a closer look.

“An eye for an eye… A tooth! For a tooth... A son for a son!” said a voice in a terrible falsetto.

Merlin had to fight back tears, trying not to laugh. He stopped the video and emailed it to himself. In as smooth a voice as he could possible make it, he said, “Okay you lot. I’ll watch the rest later. You need to get out of the car or you’ll be late.”

He handed Percy his phone back and looked over at Lizzy. He just had to ask. “Did you like Arthur reading to you?”

“Well, he was sort of really bad at it at first,” said Lizzy, scrunching her nose, “but after I helped him out, telling him that he needed to use different voices, he was fantastic daddy! Can he finish the story tonight? Oh, can he?”

“Of course. Now go on sweetie, off you go,” said Merlin, watching as Kay took her hand to walk her to class.

“I’ll see you lot later! Be good for your teachers!” said Merlin as his kids got further and further away. No matter his rushed morning, it was still a good morning and he couldn’t wait to get back to watch the video on his laptop in high definition.

*

“Ahh, Morgana. Where’s Arthur? I was hoping to only have to do this once,” said a voice in Morgana’s doorway.

“He’s on a business trip. He’ll be back on Monday,” said Morgana. She didn’t know what prompted her to lie. Agravaine was Arthur’s uncle, but she went with her gut instincts. “You were hoping to do what only once?”

Prompted by her words, Agravaine fully stepped into her office with a young woman in tow. She looked like she was in her mid to late twenties, had brown hair, blue eyes, and went a little heavy on the red lipstick.

“Let me introduce you to my wife and new P.A., Deloofi Munh,” said a smug Agravaine.

Morgana privately thought that if she looked half as slimy as Agravaine and still managed to score someone more than half her age with model looks, she’d be smug as well.

“Please excuse the odd name. Call me Del! We’re family after all!” said Del with an almost genuine smile. Morgana couldn’t be fooled. She could smell fake a mile away like a shark could sense a drop of blood in the water.

“Charmed,” said Morgana, shaking the proffered hand.

“How is Uther by the way? Terrible thing to have happened,” said Agravaine, plopping himself down on the couch. Del dutifully sat down next to him.

“He’s good. Although I can’t say the same for Helen,” said Morgana with a grimace.

“A pity that. An innocent, fallen casualty in the war of another person’s hatred towards Uther,” said Agravaine, sounding not even remotely sympathetic.

“I don’t want to sound rude, but I’m rather glad it was her rather than Uther,” said Morgana.

“Of course, of course. Though he may be just your step father, he’s your father nonetheless,” said Agravaine, waving her off. “So how’s business been? Running the helm all by yourself? Must be very difficult. You should have called me and I would have been back sooner.”

Morgana glanced at Del and had to hold back from snorting. Del gave the illusion she was paying attention, but her eyes were glazed over, a pretty, but absolutely fake smile, plastered on her face. Looking back at Agravaine, she wondered again just how he got Del to marry him. With her looks, Del could probably score someone richer and better looking. To each their own, she supposed.

“It’s been great, Agravaine. In fact, you could have just come in next week. You’re not really needed at the moment,” smiled Morgana, oozing charm. She thought for a second, Del’s eyes perked up in interest, but when she glanced at her, she was just as before, her eyes glazed over, the perfect trophy girl.

“Is that so,” said Agravaine, his eyes a bit narrowed. “Well, then, I’ll be in my office should you need me. Let’s go Deloofi.”

“It was lovely to meet you Morgana. We must all have dinner soon,” said Del, walking out behind Agravaine.

“Of course,” answered Morgana. As soon as her office door was closed, she picked up her office phone, but then hung it up. She reached for her mobile phone and dialed Leon’s number.

“DI Knight,” answered Leon on the fifth ring.

“It’s Morgana. You said to call when Agravaine was in, so here’s me calling. Although, there’s something you should know,” said Morgana.

“O-kay? What is it?” asked Leon.

She could hear ruffling paper in the background, and could tell he was preoccupied, but that didn’t stop her from pulling him away from it.

“Not over the phone. Meet me for lunch. Be at the Crystal Cafe in 20 minutes,” said Morgana and hung up the phone. Let it be known that she never denied the claim that she loved to be dramatic.

*

Leon didn’t even realize it was getting closer to noon. If Morgana didn’t call, he would have worked straight through lunch, and maybe even dinner. He just couldn’t help it when he was on a roll.

The day before, Leon had obtained search warrants for the post office that Jonas had been using. After securing the CCTV tapes and scouring them all through the night, he came upon a pattern. The days were random and the people were random, but the time was always the same. Twice a week at precisely 7 AM, someone would drop something off in the same PO Box. The people looked innocuous as they came, and went about their days afterwards.

Whoever this Witchfinder was, he was meticulous in his planning. Using burner phones and random people probably looking to make some quick cash.

Grabbing his wallet and keys from his drawer, he shuffled all his files in some semblance of organization and headed out. Before he could open his car door however, a voice shouted out for him.

“Are you DI Knight?” said the voice from behind him.

“I am. Is this going to take long? Only I have a lunch appointment,” said Leon.

“Who’s this meeting with?” said the voice.

Leon turned around to face a bloke with swishy hair.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” asked Leon.

“Name’s Gwaine McMann,” said the man, extending his hand out with a grin.

“Oh, right. The journalist. Well, then, you’ll have to excuse me. I’m actually on my way to meet with Morgana. I can speak with you afterwards,” said Leon, getting into his car. As soon as he got in, the passenger side opened up and Gwaine got in.

“I’ll just tag along, shall I?” smiled Gwaine.

“Look, get out of my car. From the conversation I had on the phone with her, she seemed to want to speak in private.” said Leon, starting to lose patience.

“Nonsense. Here, let me ring her right now. If she tells me to bugger off, I will and I’ll just have to talk to you later,” said Gwaine, fishing out his phone to call Morgana.

“Highness! Guess where I am. No. No. Oh, come on. Fine, I’m with your buddy, Leon! Yeah. Uh huh. So can I tag along, or are you going to tell me to feck off? Mhmm. I can do that. You’ll owe me, Gans. No, no, no. Fine. Lunch for the background check. Okay, we’ll be there soon!” said Gwaine, hanging up the phone. “Okay, we’re set to go!”

“What?” Leon responded. That happened so fast, he didn’t know what to think. Though he did catch Gwaine using all matters of names and nicknames that showed their familiarity with one another.

“Come on, now. Don’t want to be late. Morgana doesn’t like it when people are late. Her glares can maim you without a second’s warning,” said Gwaine, shivering at some memory.

“Fine,” said Leon and started his car.

“Alright, let me just do a quick interview with you on the ride there. That way, I can just go on my merry way after lunch,” said Gwaine, taking out his tape recorder.

“Might as well, what did you want to ask?” sighed Leon.

After a short interview, detailing how Uther probably saved his own life with his paranoia, and how the investigation was moving along just fine, they made it to the cafe. Morgana was already seated at the secluded booth in the corner.

“Morgana! Always lovely to see you,” said Gwaine, grabbing her face and planting a kiss on her head.

“Gwaine, you do that again, and I will shave a line right down the center of your head,” said Morgana, whipping her hair across her shoulder. “Glad you could make it, Leon.”

Leon didn’t know what to make of their closeness, but seeing the big difference between how she treated Merlin and now this Gwaine, Leon found himself not too worried.

“Sure. You needed to speak with me outside of work?” said Leon, sitting down.

“Oh, sounds juicy already,” said Gwaine.

“Gwaine, I need this whole lunch to be off record. You’re here as a friend, not a journalist. Got that?” said Morgana with a sharp eyebrow raised.

“Yes, ma’am,” mock saluted Gwaine. “Should we order first? I’m feeling a bit peckish.”

Leon just saw Morgana roll her eyes but motion for a waitress to come over. After they all ordered, Leon decided to just jump right in.

“So what was it that you had to tell me that you couldn’t before?” asked Leon.

“Gwaine, if your tape recorder is on, I swear to the gods that I will rip out your hair in chunks. Not all of it, just a few bald spots in a few key places where you won’t be able to hide them,” warned Morgana.

“On my honor, my lady, it’s not on. I’ll let you even pat me down if you don’t believe me,” said Gwaine with an eyebrow raised, and his hands protectively over his hair.

“Okay. So, Morgana, you were saying?” continued Leon.

“Right, well, Agravaine is at work and he’s hired his wife as his new P.A. Her name is Deloosa or Delfoosa or whatever, I couldn’t give two shits. She seems harmless, though incredibly fake, but again, that wasn’t what I couldn’t say.” said Morgana, stopping to take a sip of her coffee.

Leon was about to say something, but Gwaine cut him off.

“Ah, Deloofi Munh. She’s a looker, that one,” said Gwaine. When he looked up to see both Leon and Morgana staring at him, he responded with a roll of his eyes. “You told me he eloped, Gans. I did my homework and dug enough for a story.”

“Right. Anyway, the thing is, I lied to Agravaine. I gave him the cover story of Arthur being on a business trip instead of the truth about him lying low,” said Morgana. “I don’t know why, but I never really trusted the man, so I think you should talk to him. I wouldn’t put it past him to try to take Uther out and scare Arthur in the process.”

“Morgana, that is a pretty serious accusation,” said Leon. “Though I can piece out motivation fairly easily.”

“I know, so I can. He's the brother of Uther's late wife. They never really got along, and after she died in childbirth, the tension rose a few notches and never left. So, just question him when you get the chance, do whatever you have to, but don’t mention anything about Arthur,” said Morgana.

“I must have missed something if you’re getting protective over the princess because of Agravaine,” said Gwaine. “Arty can handle himself when it comes to that bloated fecker.”

“You’ve missed quite a lot, actually,” said Morgana, a little tiredly, “and we may choose to fill you in one day, when this all blows over.”

“Fair enough. Ah, here’s the food! So you said you needed me to do a background check?” said Gwaine, digging into his chicken.

“Background check? You know I can do that for you,” said Leon, a little insulted that she didn’t ask him. He was a detective after all.

“Yes, I know. But Gwaine here, is a journalist. I’m not asking for just the perfunctory background check. He knows what I’m asking for. He gets me results and I don’t ask the how, and I don’t think you should either,” said Morgana, giving him a meaningful look.

“Right. Got it,” said Leon, biting into his kebab.

“How’s the case going anyway,” asked Morgana, gracefully cutting into her filet mignon.

“Good. I’m having difficulty tracking down the third party, but I think it’s promising.” said Leon.

“Third party? So Jonas’ partner?” asked Morgana.

“No, it’s a little more complicated than that,” sighed Leon. “This wasn’t some revenge ploy as we initially thought. Look, I can’t discuss this here, but talk to Morgause, she can fill you in.”

“But you have a name,” said Morgana, sipping on her drink.

“Not exactly. We have his street name,” said Leon, pausing to chew his food.

“Street name, eh? What is it?” said Gwaine, having no problem talking with his mouth full.

“That’s disgusting, Gwaine. Leon, you should answer him. Gwaine is surprisingly filled with a lot of useful knowledge when it comes to that sort of thing,” said Morgana.

Leon pondered it for a bit. If Morgana could reasonably trust Gwaine, then Leon felt he could too.

“Alright. He or she is called The Witchfinder,” said Leon, taking another bite of his kebab.

Gwaine let out a low whistle. “Sure, I’ve heard of him. He gets things done. I know for a fact, and you did not hear this from me, that Interpol has been after him for the last three years.”

“Son of a bitch,” Leon swore. “So are you telling me that I won’t be able to get anything on this guy?”

“Not necessarily. The Witchfinder is a brutal mercenary, but he’s also a businessman who cares more about money than anything. In fact, I know he can be paid off to rat out whoever hired him for the right price,” said Gwaine, finishing the last of his chicken.

“We can’t bribe a criminal to rat out another criminal,” said Leon, a bit offended. “We’d have to go after both.”

“Not necessarily. Uther has the money,” mused Morgana.

“You’d only be shit out of luck if the Witchfinder is going after Uther because of something personal,” said Gwaine, chugging down his cider.

“I’ll still have to think about it. Let me talk to Morgause and then we’ll both talk to Uther. Or I will. Whatever,” said Leon, picking up his last kebab.

“Right, so who was it you needed the background check for?” asked Gwaine, spearing a piece of Morgana’s steak for his own.

“How you stay in shape when you’ve got a black hole for a stomach, I’ll never know,” Morgana said, shoving the last remainder of her food to Gwaine.

“Cheers!” said Gwaine, happily pulling the plate in front of him.

“I need it for Deloofi Munh. Can never be too sure these days,” said Morgana with a wry smile.

“Alright. Not a problem,” said Gwaine.

Just then, Leon got a call.

“DI Knight.”

“Leon, it’s Anhora. Let’s celebrate this case being over with in record time,” said a gruff but happy voice.

“Sir? What do you mean the case is over?” asked a confused Leon.

“DS Nagendra brought the perp in. He’s just finishing the paperwork. Didn’t he tell you?”

“No, he didn’t. He was supposed to report to me before he did anything,” said a very annoyed Leon. “Alright then, who was it.”

“It was that board member Alined. And the kicker is that it was the rest of the suspects you haven’t cleared from your list, Alvarr and Enmyria. They were all working together. Anyway, come in as soon as you can and we can close this up quicker.” said Anhora.

“Yes, sir. Very good, sir.” said Leon. He put down his phone and continued to think. No way could it be that easy.

“Did I just hear what I think I just did?” asked Morgana, a smile on her face.

“Yes, but—”

“But what?” asked Morgana, smile starting to fade.

Leon hated that he was causing that smile to fade, but he needed to say what was on his mind.

“I don’t think they have the right person,” he said in a rush.

“Who was it?” asked Morgana with a shrewd look.

“Supposedly it was Alined, Alvarr, and Enmyria,” said Leon.

“Ugh, Enmyria, really? I never liked her, but there was never a good reason to really fire her,” said Morgana. “So who’s the one who figured it all out?”

“DS Valiant Nagendra,” said Leon. “Look, it’s none of my business, but he’s been bragging about going out for drinks with you tomorrow.”

“You’re right. That is none of your business,” said Morgana with narrowed eyes. “What of it?”

“Well, Valiant isn’t what you’d call a gentleman. He’s most likely going to preen all night, about how he managed to solve the case,” winced Leon. “If you don’t mind, I would like to ask you a favor…”

“What does this favor entail? Do you want me to cancel?” asked Morgana with an eyebrow raised.

“No. Actually, I was going to ask you to play along. I know you don’t suffer fools, but maybe you can catch him off guard. Anhora didn’t say anything about the Witchfinder. It’s almost as if there’s something else entirely going on. Just. I don’t know. Act like everything is better, but don’t let down your guard,” said Leon.

“Oh, so you want me to be a spy for you?” asked Morgana, clearly amused.

“You’d make the perfect bond girl, highness,” smirked Gwaine.

“But what if he really did catch the right guys and you just don’t have the full story?” countered Morgana.

“True. Will you give me until the week’s through to confirm?” asked Leon.

“What about Arthur?” said Morgana.

“I’d keep him in the dark until I can confirm it,” said Leon, “I wouldn’t want to give him false hope.”

“I suppose,” said Morgana, “Alright, I’ll be your bond girl and I’ll give you the rest of the week.”

“Okay,” said Leon feeling a little warm in the face at Morgana’s response. “I’m still going to proceed with questioning Agravaine. Is that okay?”

“Oh, yeah, go ahead. Gwaine, I still want that background check,” said Morgana.

“Will do. Well cheers for lunch, I’ll be off now. I’ve got work to do,” said Gwaine, winking and popping the last of his chips into his mouth.

“I’ll talk to you later,” said Morgana, rolling her eyes. “Are you going to come with me to the office?”

“No, I’m going to head over to the Met. See what's in store for me,” said Leon, getting out his wallet.

“Don’t be silly, Leon. I’ve got this. Company credit card. We spoke about my work, so therefore this was a work lunch. This way, I’m not insulting your manhood by paying, but I still get to stroke my feminism by paying anyway,” said Morgana.

“Umm, thanks?” said Leon.

“Sure, I’ll talk to you later,” said Morgana, strutting off to pay at the counter.

If the case was truly over, at least Leon could properly make a move for Morgana. But how to make a move on a woman like Morgana. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and exited the cafe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could art so I could draw the actual characters and their expressions I can clearly see in my head. Alas, my hasty doodles is all you get. Unless I make a botchy graphic at the end of this. Anyway, this fandom has a great imagination, so I hope the way I write is enough to fill that imagination up! Until next week!
> 
> x


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur tries to do something nice.

Uther, for once in his life, was proud of the Camelot Met. They had taken this case seriously and swiftly solved the issue. It was just before supper and once he got off the phone with Anhora he was going to call Arthur, but George entered his office.

“Morgana Le Fay is here to see you, Master Pendragon,” said George.

“Master Pendragon? Really, Uther, where did you dig this one from?” said Morgana, entering his office right behind George.

Uther didn’t mind that Morgana started calling him by his name again. He knew that Morgana only really called him ‘dad’ when she wanted to show affection, and being of Pendragon blood, he knew all too well how often Pendragons showed affection.

“He’s the epitome of the perfect butler,” said Uther, shrugging his shoulders.

“Thank you, sir. May I offer any refreshments?” asked George.

“No, no, go away. I need to speak to you in private,” said Morgana, dismissing George, and sitting herself down on the sofa.

When George left the office, Uther turned to his daughter. “Did you hear the news?”

“Yes. I was actually with Leon during lunch when he first found out. That’s actually why I’m here,” said Morgana.

“It’s good news. All this is behind us and now we can get on with our lives,” said Uther with a smile.

“About that,” said Morgana. “I just wanted to let you know, that although the case may be solved, there is a chance that it actually isn’t.”

“What do you mean by that?” said Uther, all trace of the smile gone.

“Well, Leon was informing me of a new lead when the case was suspiciously solved. The timing felt a little more than coincidental to him, so he’s investigating some more on his own time. Well, both he and Morgause.” answered Morgana.

Uther wanted to brush off her worries, but then he decided against that. His paranoia is what saved him in the first place, so he couldn’t fault other people for theirs.

“On his own time? Why would he do that?” asked Uther.

“He wants to make sure that justice is served and that we’re really out of danger,” said Morgana.

“And what do you think?” asked Uther.

“I think he’s just being paranoid, but he did have some valid points. Besides, if your paranoia saved your life, what’s to say his won’t?” said Morgana, fidgeting a little.

“What is it?” asked Uther, a little more alert.

“It’s just,” Morgana paused. “Leon wants us to keep Arthur in the dark about it. He actually wanted you in the dark too, but I knew that would be stupid.”

“Indeed, that would have been a grave mistake,” said Uther with a stern eyebrow raise.

“Look, I don’t like keeping Arthur in the dark, but Leon promised that it would only be for the rest of the week, so I agreed to wait to tell Arthur the case is solved until Sunday. Can you do that?”

Uther walked over to the intercom by the door frame and pressed a button.

“George, assist Gaius to my office.” Uther let go of the button and sat behind his desk.

“What are you doing?” asked a confused Morgana.

After a minute of silence, there was a knock.

“Enter,” said Uther.

“You asked to see me?” said Gaius. “Oh, Morgana! Lovely to see you.”

“And you, Gaius. Uther, what are you doing?” asked Morgana once more.

“Gaius has done me a big favor by staying with me, so I’m doing the courtesy of telling him the news,” said Uther.

“And that might be?” said a confused Gaius.

“Please sit,” said Uther. Once Gaius was seated, he glance over at Morgana and it looked like she was struggling not to speak.

“The case has been solved,” started Uther.

“Oh, that was remarkably quick!” said a pleased Gaius.

“Please, wait until I’m finished, old friend,” said Uther.

“Certainly,” said Gaius, giving his full attention to Uther.

“The case has been solved, but there are some who don’t think that the right conclusion was met. I’m not to tell Arthur anything about it until the week is through, therefore, you’re not allowed to tell your nephew anything,” finished Uther.

“But Uther, I can’t lie to Merlin,” said Gaius, like he was half chiding Uther.

“Gaius, please. Merlin and his kids are safe. More so if these suspicions prove false. And it’s not lying, per se, you’re just withholding information,” added Morgana.

“I don’t like it,” said Gaius with a frown.

“And I don’t like it either. But, for their safety, I’m willing to do it, aren’t you?” Morgana challenged.

“Of course,” sighed Gaius.

“Thank you. Both of you. Now, I’m going to get going. I’ll let you know as soon as I know something!” said Morgana and left.

“She may look more like Vivienne, but it’s quite plain to see how much of her father she has in her,” said Gaius with a fond shake of his head.

“I thought that would hurt her in some way, but I’m damn proud of her. She’s so strong,” said Uther, chest slightly puffed out in pride.

“Yes,” chuckled Gaius, "well, George said supper would be ready in about 10 minutes. Should we head to the dining room?”

“In a minute. Gaius, I wanted to ask you something,” said Uther. He wasn’t even thinking about it but as soon as he asked, he knew it was the smart thing to do.

“When I asked you to move in for the duration of this case, I expected a month at the very least. Although I’m quite glad that it’s mostly over with, I was wondering if you would actually stay for the remainder of the month,” said Uther.

“Yes, well, I thought I’d be staying for as long, I may as well,” said Gaius. “May I ask why?”

“Of course. It’s in case the investigation is as unfinished as suspected, and because that will give me enough time to truly see whether or not I can rely on George,” replied Uther.

“How difficult was it for you to ask me another favor,” teased Gaius.

“Surprisingly not much. It must be my age,” chuckled Uther. “That, and you may be one of the only true friends I have left.”

“My, my. Uther Pendragon is going soft. I must have entered the twilight zone,” Gaius said in mock awe.

“Yes, well, no will ever believe you,” smirked Uther. “Now, come on, I’m starved.”

*

“Arthur? Arthur??” Merlin ran through the door and frantically scanned his house. As soon as he entered from the front door, the smoke detector was going off and there was a cloud of dark grey smoke coming from the kitchen.

Then he heard a groan and saw a foot twitching behind the island. Merlin rushed on over and dragged Arthur’s feet out into the open so he could get a clear look at the man below.

“Arthur! Can you hear me? Are you okay? What the hell happened?” said Merlin, frantically checking him all over.

Arthur just put his arm over his face and started to groan. Then he started to mumble something.

“What is it? Take your arm off your face, you daft git!” said Merlin, struggling to pull Arthur’s arm away.

“No. Stop. I’m fine. Though I may die of embarrassment,” mumbled Arthur.

Just then Merlin’s phone began to ring.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Emrys. We’ve been notified that your smoke detector has been going off longer than the standard 30 seconds allotted for a false alarm. Is there an emergency?” asked the calm operator.

“No, no. Everything is alright. It was just a false alarm. Thank you for calling,” said Merlin, trying to keep his voice calm.

“Thank you. Have a nice rest of the day, sir,” said the operator and promptly hung up.

“Now tell me what the bloody fuck happened!” demanded Merlin, heart racing.

Arthur slowly moved his arm down.

“I was trying to heat something up for you since you left without eating,” started Arthur, getting red in the face,.

“Okay? Then what happened?” asked a confused Merlin.

“I may have leftthefoilontheplate,” rushed out Arthur.

Merlin just gave him a blank look. He stared at the smoking microwave, and then back at Arthur.

“I tried to get it out as soon as I remembered, but obviously I was too late. Then I got shocked for my services,” said Arthur, placing his arm on top of his face again.

“And you call me the idiot,” said Merlin. “Get up. Come on, let’s go to the sofa.”

“You’re taking this rather well. Aren’t you angry?” asked Arthur, getting up with the help of Merlin.

“I’m glad you’re not hurt. I can just get a new microwave installed,” said Merlin.

“Which I will happily pay for, don’t even think about stopping me,” said Arthur.

“I wasn’t going to, you dollophead, of course you’re going to pay for the new one” said Merlin, a little fondly. “Are you sure you’re alright? I can call Gaius and have him stop by.”

“No, no, I’m okay. I just need to sleep it off, probably. If you call Gaius, he may tell my father, and just, yes. I’m fine,” nodded Arthur.

“Alright, here’s what we’ll do. I have a dead comfortable futon in my office. Take a nap there so I can watch you while I work. NOT. In the creepy way. Just so that I’ll know you’ll be okay. Oh, shut up.” said Merlin, getting a little pink.

“Of course, thank you.” said Arthur with a smile.

Merlin thought Arthur must have gotten soft in the head via electrocution if Arthur wasn’t taking the chance to make fun of him.

Because Merlin falls asleep working pretty often, the futon was already comfortably set up with a light knitted blanket, woven by Freya, and a comfortable pillow or two. As soon as Arthur saw it, he dragged his feet towards the futon and seemed to fall asleep pretty instantly.

Merlin followed him to make sure he was comfortable. He found himself stroking Arthur’s hair back. It was funny to see how having children made Merlin’s first instinct to stroke his hair back and kiss his forehead. He didn’t kiss Arthur’s head though. He was sound of mind enough to not let it get that far.

“Stupid clotpole almost blew up my kitchen to make me some brekkie,” whispered Merlin. When he was about to get up to sit at his desk, arms wrapped around his waist and kept him in place. Merlin froze.

“Arthur?” Merlin said, a bit cautiously. When he didn’t receive a response, Merlin turned around to see Arthur still sound asleep. Merlin let out a fond sigh and sat by Arthur’s side, stroking his hair for a little longer. After what seemed like hours, but was only about ten minutes, Arthur’s grip loosened and Merlin was able to get up.

The reason he came home a little later after dropping of his lot, was because he had to pick up Dolma’s dry cleaning. That reminded him, he had a certain video to see. Plugging his headphones into his laptop, he went to check his email.

*

Morgana went back to Morgause’s place after talking to Uther. Leon had called her to let her know that the DC had called Uther. She was glad she got to him in time before Uther went ahead and called Arthur for celebratory drinks. Thinking about drinks reminded her about her role for tomorrow night.

She only said yes to drinks with Valiant so she could try and get more information about Leon. Maybe to get Leon a little jealous too, but no one had to know that. Now, she was actually looking forward to using her prowess as a sharp businesswoman to fool this sleazy DS.

After a nice dinner with Morgause and Mordred, Mordred went to his room to do his homework, but Morgana followed Morgause into her office so they could talk.

“So did Leon have to convince you too? Or what do you think of all this witchfinder business?” asked Morgana.

“No, I’m with Leon. This case doesn’t make that much sense. I mean, there has to be someone on the inside, feeding information out,” said Morgause, worry laced in her voice.

“Why do you say that?” asked Morgana with a slight frown.

“After Leon and I were talking about the threat to Arthur—”

“What threat? What’s going on?” said Morgana, alarmed.

“No, calm down, Morgana. I was talking about the first time with the flowers,” said Morgause with a calming voice.

“Oh. Okay, continue,” said Morgana, forcing her heart to slow down.

“Well, after we arrested Alined and associates, we realized that nowhere in their confession did they mention anything about the flowers,” said Morgause.

“A couple hours later, when we gathered our evidence, we were called into Anhora’s office. He told us that Enmyria admitted to forgetting that she was the one who sent the flowers to Arthur’s flat.” said Morgause.

“But how?” said Morgana.

“She said that being the receptionist let her have access to files that included his address,” said Morgause.

“No, that’s not possible. His personal address isn’t listed in the work database. Everything gets forwarded to the estate. My documents as well,” said Morgana, her frown deepening.

Morgause wrote that information in her notebook and put it away. “Then either she’s being forced to confess things she didn’t do, or she’s in on whatever this business is.”

“Of course it couldn’t be simple,” said Morgana. “Do you think that means Arthur is still in danger?”

“I don’t know. The threat was to Uther, but he could be,” said a somber Morgause.

“Who do you think it could be?” asked Morgana.

“We were discussing this in a fairly public part of the office, so it could be anyone,” said an irritated Morgause.

“Well, if I were you, I’d start with the people who came to investigate Avalon on Monday. So that would leave you with Leon, Elena, Owaine, Drea, Ethan, and Valiant,” said Morgana.

“Well, Leon is definitely not a suspect,” said Morgause.

“Of course. Neither is Elena,” responded Morgana.

“We can take Owaine out as well,” continued Morgause. “Drea is fairly new, so she’s a possible suspect.”

“What about Ethan and Valiant?” asked Morgana.

“Ethan is out too. He’s by the book. Although, sometimes he doesn’t realize he’s saying things he shouldn’t because he’s too straightforward. So, okay, we should check out who he’s been talking to,” answered Morgause.

“And Valiant?” asked Morgana, her curiosity peaked.

“He’s a snake. Definitely a suspect,” said Morgause.

“Oh, good. I’m having drinks with him tomorrow,” said Morgana.

“You what? You will not!” said an alarmed Morgause.

“Excuse me?” said a shocked Morgana.

“I’m sorry, sister, forgive me. I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you. I just. I’m sorry. I know I have no right to say what you can or cannot do,” said Morgause with a wince, “I just would prefer it if my family did not associate with such unsavory people.”

“But you’re associated with him,” said Morgana.

“Only sometimes and strictly through work. I know what kind of person he is and he is definitely not worthy of your time,” said Morgause.

“Thanks for looking out, but I’m a big girl,” said Morgana, “and an excellent judge of character.”

“Sorry. It’s been a while. I missed out on scaring all your teenage boyfriends away,” said Morgause with a weak smile.

“It’s okay. Arthur handled that department just fine," said Morgana, giving her a wry smile, "Besides, this way, I can help out and find out if Valiant is really as dirty as he is.”

“Okay. Be careful. Where are you having drinks at?” asked Morgause.

“The Drunken Swine,” said Morgana. Then she snorted, “although the place is quite posh, its name makes it quite fitting to go with such a person, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll be sure to be in the area. Just don’t take your eyes off your drink,” warned Morgause.

“Yes, mum,” teased Morgana.

*

Snuggled up in the comfort of his own, albeit temporary, bed, Arthur finally had a chance to think about his day.

He remembered thinking that trying to make—okay heat—Merlin a plate of food would be the last nice thing he would ever do. He was glad that he received a rather nasty shock instead of being full on electrocuted. Then again, if the aftermath was having Merlin see to his injuries, maybe he wouldn’t stop.

He didn’t know what came over him when he wrapped his arms around Merlin. He was in shock, but that action was all his. He had to admit, receiving that sort of comfort was not common for him growing up, so it was really nice. Arthur didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed when he realized Merlin dismissed the action as something he did in his sleep.

He woke up from his nap to feel something taped to his forehead. It was another note from Merlin. He tore it off his head and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision.

_Arthur,_

_Gone to pick up the kids. I’ll be back soon. I know you might be hungry, but don’t try to make yourself anything. Stay hungry until I get back. It’ll be worth the wait._

_Merlin_

Now that Arthur was conscious again, he realized he was famished. He looked at the time and was shocked to see it was nearing 5 PM. He quickly sat up and took a look around. He was still in Merlin’s office and it was dark save for the light that snuck in from under the door.

Arthur got up and opened the door. As soon as he did, his senses were hit with a mouth-watering smell.

“Steak,” Arthur whispered out loud, eyes closed.

“There’s our sleeping beauty,” teased Merlin.

Instead of rising to the bait, Arthur shot back with, “You think I’m beautiful?”

“I-Wha-Shut up,” spluttered Merlin.

“That’s not very nice, daddy,” said Lizzy.

“Yeah, _Mer_ lin. That’s not very nice,” shot back Arthur with a smirk.

“Here I am, slaving away, doing something nice, and this is the thanks I get?” huffed Merlin.

“No, no. You’re right. Thank you,” said Arthur, a bit shyly.

Merlin blinked at him a couple of times. “Sure. Ermm why don’t you help the kids set the table”

“Come onnn, Arthur!” said Lizzy, taking Arthur’s big hand in her tiny one and dragging him to the kitchen.

After a lovely steak dinner, Arthur excused himself to a couple hours of work he should have done earlier. Then he got roped into reading to Lizzy again, but he didn’t find that he minded too much.

“Much better!” squealed an ecstatic Lizzy.

“I think it may have been a mistake. My reading to you? You’re supposed to get sleepy, not more excited,” said Arthur with a confused eyebrow raised.

“Well, can’t I be excited for your accop-accomli-ahem-accomplishment! Arthur?” smiled Lizzy, a little confused herself.

Arthur did not expect that response. “Of course you can. Thank you, Lizzy,” said Arthur with a smile. He then awkwardly tucked Lizzy in. As he prepared to leave, he was stopped by Lizzy’s voice.

“Wait!”

“Did I forget something?” asked Arthur.

“Yes. I forgave you the first time, but I really can’t go to bed without my kiss!” said Lizzy, trying to blow off the hair in front of her face. “There, I’m ready!”

Arthur awkwardly stepped back in front of Lizzy and bent down to press a small kiss on her forehead, “Erm, goodnight, Lizzy.”

“Night, night Arthur,” smiled Lizzy.

As soon as Arthur stepped out of Lizzy’s room and entered the living room, he was met with a shit-eating grin on Merlin. “Do you have some kind of mental affliction, Merlin?”

“Nope,” said Merlin, continuing to smile so wide it looked like his face was going to split.

“Then why does your face look like that?” shot back Arthur.

“My kids have presented the world with a miracle. Admit it, you like kids now!” said Merlin.

“Uhm, yeah, no. I still don’t like kids,” Arthur said with no trace of a lie.

“But…” Merlin started to say, losing his smile to a frown.

“Okay, but I’ll admit to maybe liking yours,” said Arthur, rolling his eyes.

That caused Merlin to give Arthur a smaller, but softer smile, that was completely worth the admission.

“I’ll take it,” said Merlin. “D’you want a cuppa? I’m making one for myself.”

“Sure. I’m probably going to stay up for a bit. Lost a bit of time today,” replied Arthur.

“You know you can take the computer to your room,” said Merlin, “charger and all.”

“I know that, Merlin. I just like having the illusion of having an office. One thing I promised Morgana when my father had his heart attack, was that I would never bring my work into my bedroom. She warned me that I’d go down the same path as him and made me swear on my firstborn, which technically wasn’t that hard to do,” mused Arthur.

“Gods, Arthur I don’t know how you make someone feel so many differing emotions at once,” chuckled Merlin.

“Meaning?” asked Arthur with an unimpressed look at Merlin.

“I was full of understanding until you made that firstborn comment which made me a little irritated, but at the same time want to laugh,” said Merlin. “Just when I feel like I’ve figured you out, you do something and I’m back to square one.”

“I know the feeling,” said Arthur, “believe me.”

After the cuppa with Merlin, they continued talking more about the potential for Arthur’s building until Merlin got quiet.

“You know you actually really scared me today,” said Merlin, barely audible.

“Oh? Why, Merlin, I didn’t know you cared,” teased Arthur.

“I’m being serious,” said Merlin with a tight smile.

“It was just the smoke alarm and a bit of a shock. Nothing to be so alarmed about, Merlin. Goodness, are you that paranoid that I’ll destroy your house?” said Arthur, a little sharper than intended.

“My dad was a firefighter. He died in a fire, saving someone’s life and then there was—” Merlin shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t trust you with my house, Arthur, but what if something happened and you died, alone, here!?” said Merlin, irritation and fear writ all over his face.

Before Merlin could storm off, Arthur grabbed his hand.

“Merlin. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to belittle your feelings. I know it sounded like I was teasing earlier, but I really didn’t think you cared. Why should you? You hardly know me,” said Arthur with his head down.

Arthur felt his hand being squeezed momentarily and he looked up to see Merlin with a small smile on his face.

“Well, all of my kids like you, and that’s reason enough. And besides, you’re not so bad, once you peel the layers back. Really, properly far back,” teased Merlin.

Arthur let out a sigh of relief and thought of a brilliant comeback. “Really, Merlin? Anything else you want to peel back, or _off_ me.”

Merlin blushed instantly and dropped Arthur’s hand. Arthur didn’t like the loss, but the blush was well worth it. That and the stammered goodnight Merlin bade while excusing himself to bed.

Arthur was relieved that he would be able to go back to the comforts of his own flat soon enough, but thinking about it, he was a little sad. Yes, he’d have more free reign at his own place, but having stayed with an actual family for a week, made him realize that he didn’t want to be so alone anymore. _I’m definitely getting old if I’m thinking about settling down_ thought Arthur before he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween tomorrow! Your continued comments and kudos bring me great joy. Cheers!!
> 
> Until next week!
> 
> x


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new player in the game.

Morgana was looking through the files that Gwaine dropped off in the morning. The background check she wanted on Deloofi proved her harmless, but there was a bit of information in there that made her confused. Deloofi Munh was an orphan from the Isle of Mora. Besides papers from the orphanage, there was zero trace of her. She was a virtual nobody, that is, until she started appearing in the business circles seven years ago, fresh out of uni. That made her a couple years younger than Morgana at best. It wasn’t too weird, but for some reason, it added another thing to the list of Things I Don’t Like About The Bint.

Morgana was glad it was finally Friday. She had more than enough power and skill to run the company indefinitely, but she never wanted to do that. She could have easily been the one to take over when Arthur left, but she didn’t feel the need to. She would much rather leave with Arthur, become his second, and be free to do other things she wanted.

The day was almost over and she was excited for her meeting with Valiant. It was her dream come true as a little girl to work in espionage. She met up with both Morgause and Leon during her lunch break so they could plan exactly what Morgana would say.

She had to make sure that she dropped the name Witchfinder in their conversation and see how Valiant reacted. If there was no reaction, she would have to leave the impression that the case wasn’t as over as everyone thought. If Morgana felt confident that Valiant was the dirty cop, she would lead him on and invite him back to the hotel she was supposedly staying at, so that Morgause and Leon would be able to ambush him.

She briefly mentioned the plan to Gwen so that she could take care of Mordred for the night. Morgana didn’t want to have Merlin take him again because she didn’t want any bit of suspicious information Mordred might have heard, to get to Arthur.

“Eleven year old Morgana would be so proud,” said Gwen, packing her oversized purse to go home for the day.

“That she would,” smiled Morgana. “Are the kids home?”

“Yes. Lance picked them up,” said Gwen. “You going to be okay? Don’t need a partner in crime?”

“It’s been sorted, but thanks,” said Morgana with a chuckle.

“Alright, but you call me if you need me,” added Gwen. “I’ll talk to you later, Morgana.”

“Don’t let Mordred stay up all night reading Harry Potter!” yelled Morgana so that Gwen could hear her down the other end of the office.

“Don’t worry about it!” shouted Gwen before the lift closed on her.

It was only 5:30, so Morgana had some time to spare. She kept her business casual outfit on and went to freshen up a little in her office bathroom.

“Like I’m going to change into anything better for him,” muttered Morgana, checking herself out in the body length mirror in her office closet. However, she undid an extra button to show off her cleavage a little more. “I would make an excellent Bond girl and I don’t even have to try.”

“Too bad a lot of Bond girls wind up dead,” said a voice behind her.

Before Morgana could turn around, or even let out a scream, a cloth was shoved in her face and after a few suffocating breaths, everything went black.

*

“It’s almost 7. Why isn’t she here yet? They were supposed to meet at 6:30,” muttered Morgause.

“I don’t know. Let’s give it a few more, yeah? She’s probably being fashionably late or something,” said Leon, getting a little antsy himself.

“And I suppose Nagendra’s fashionably late as well? No. Something is wrong, Leon,” hissed Morgause.

They were sitting in a secluded table at The Drunken Swine with full view of the bar.

“Maybe they grabbed a table?” suggested Leon, admitting it was possible, though slim, that the both of them missed both Morgana and Valiant entering the establishment.

“I’ll make a quick sweep,” said Morgause, already out of her seat. Five minutes later, the expression she had on her face made Leon stand.

“They aren’t here. I’m going to her office. Are you coming or not?” asked Morgause.

“I’m going to stick around and scope the area. Also, just in case they show up,” said Leon, “you go ahead to the office and then meet me back here.”

“Okay. Leon, if something happened to her,” started Morgause.

“Don’t go there,” said Leon.

“I don’t think I could survive it,” said Morgause, swiftly reaching the exit.

“Be careful!” Leon shouted after her, hoping that Morgana would show up soon.

*

“Oh, Merlin, are you sure you don’t mind?” asked Gwen, her face concerned.

“Of course not! Now, care to tell me what’s going on?” asked Merlin, making sure Mordred wasn’t in earshot.

“Morgana is going out for drinks tonight and—”

“Oh! Really? With who? Is it Leon?” said Merlin, grinning a little too much.

“No, with another guy, though I think she initially said yes to make Leon jealous,” grinned Gwen, “but that didn’t work. Anyway, now she’s meeting with him because she said she would.”

“Oh, okay. So what’s got Mordred in a state?” asked Merlin.

“He just said he was feeling sick and could he please stay with uncle Merlin. Normally I would make him stick it out, but he just had this look on his face, and he does like you better,” said Gwen. “I couldn’t say no.”

“It’s alright, Gwen. You can go home, reassure Lance that I’m okay, and then give Sefa a kiss for me,” said Merlin, giving Gwen a hug goodbye.

“Alright, but you’ll call us if you need help, right? You better or I’ll rip you a new one Merlin Emrys,” said Gwen with a stern voice.

“I believe you. Now get going,” chuckled Merlin. As soon as Gwen left, he went to Percy’s room to see Mordred sitting on the bed with his back against the wall, reading Harry Potter aloud to Lizzy, and Percy sitting at his desk.

“Are you alright?” asked Merlin, sitting on Mordred’s other side.

“Yes. I just have a weird feeling making me feel a bit ill. Aunt Gwen is lovely, but I feel more comfortable here. More safe,” said a quiet Mordred.

“Well, you know you’re welcome here anytime,” said Merlin, fondly ruffling Mordred’s hair.

“Daddy!! I know what we can do to help!”shouted an ecstatic Lizzy.

“And what might that be?” asked Merlin.

“Blanket Fort Party!!!!” squealed Lizzy. Just then there were hurried footsteps and an out of breath Kay appeared at the door.

“Did someone say Blanket Fort Party!? Oh, Hi, Mordy. When did you get here?” said Kay, still panting.

“A couple minutes ago. Can we all even fit?” asked Mordred.

“I’m an architect, kid. I can make it happen,” smiled Merlin.

“So you and uncle Arthur can fit too?” asked Mordred with a sceptical eyebrow.

“Sure,” said Merlin with his chest puffed out. He walked out of Percy’s room and knocked on Arthur’s door.

“Come in,” said Arthur.

“Hey, Arthur, you busy?” asked Merlin. “Well, it’s a Friday night. Too bad if you are, I’m recruiting your help.”

“Excuse me?” said a confused Arthur.

“Mordred is here and he’s not feeling well,” said Merlin.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” asked Arthur, putting his book down and getting up from the loveseat.

“Not really sure, but the kids wanted to cheer him up with a Blanket Fort Party so that is what we’ll do,” answered Merlin.

“A what now?” asked a baffled Arthur.

“Oh, Arthur, you’ve been missing out if you’ve never had a blanket fort party before. Lucky for you, you have me,” smiled Merlin.

Merlin could have sworn he heard Arthur mutter “mental affliction,” but he let it slide.

“Okay, come with me to the garage, we need to get the beams,” said Merlin, already walking towards the garage.

“Beams? What?” repeated Arthur, following along.

“I’m an architect. I constructed a set of beams modeled after tent structures so that my kids could have an epic blanket fort and I wouldn’t have to worry about it collapsing over them,” said Merlin, pulling out several poles and base structures.

“Of course,” said Arthur a bit fondly.

“Alright then, let’s get to work!” said Merlin with a smile.

Merlin had Arthur push back the sofas and then Merlin moved the coffee table into his office. He had Arthur close the door to Percy’s room so it could be a surprise for Mordred, and had Kay show Arthur where are the spare blankets and duvets were kept.

After Merlin set up the structure, he had the biggest blanket he owned thrown on top for the roof. Then, he tied the ends down in strategic areas. He then had Arthur drape more of the blankets around all sides so that the fort could be complete. Then he disappeared to the pillow cupboard.

“You have a cupboard filled entirely with pillows?” said Arthur behind him.

Merlin turned around to see a sort of childish awe on Arthur’s face.

“Yes, well, when you’re me and you have kids like mine. Anyway, you are cordially invited to this Blanket Fort Party,” said Merlin shoving about five pillows at Arthur.

“I’m sure I can make the time out of my busy schedule,” answered Arthur.

Grabbing five pillows himself, he had Arthur follow him into the fort. “Alright, just outline the base with the pillows, then the kids can come in with their own blankets and claim their spots. Oh I almost forgot the lantern!” said Merlin, going back out to grab it from the garage.

He got the light, made sure the batteries were inside and went back into the fort. He hung the lamp in the center where he made the space for it. “Oh, let me get the rest of the pillows. You just sit tight and I’ll bring the kids.”

Merlin went to the cupboard, grabbed the rest of the pillows, and shoved them in the fort, hearing a muffled 'oof' from Arthur. Chuckling, he then knocked on Percy’s door and opened it. “Okay, Mordred, are you ready?”

“Yes,” said Mordred.

“Let’s go!” Lizzy said, grabbing Mordred’s hand and all but dragged him out of the room.

“Whoa,” whispered Mordred. “Do I just?”

“Yep,” answered Merlin with a smile. “Kay, don’t you dare clap. That honor goes to Mordred tonight.”

“I know, I know, Perce already said,” said Kay, going inside, Lizzy following in after with Percy.

“Go ahead Mordred, I’m right behind you,” said Merlin.

Once they entered the fort, Merlin quietly said, “Clap your hands twice, Mordred.”

Mordred did without question and then the lantern came on. A warm, yellow-orange light with a pattern of stars cloaked the entire inside of the fort.

Mordred let out a little gasp. “It’s like the Weasley tent. Only better because this is all without magic! Thanks Uncle Merlin,” said Mordred, giving him a short hug.

  
“Not a problem, kiddo. Now why don’t you follow the rest of them out and go grab a pillow and blanket to claim your spot,” said Merlin. “Come on, Arthur. Us too.”

“This is pretty amazing, Merlin,” said Arthur. “Are you trying to live up to your namesake?”

“Only as much as you are, _sire_ ,” sassed Merlin.

*

“Oh good, you’re up,” said a voice disguised by a some sort of machine.

“What the fuck?” Morgana was on the floor of a nondescript concrete room. She turned her head and had to stop herself from throwing up.

“I take it, you've seen the body,” said the disembodied voice.

“What do you want with me?” snarled Morgana.

“I want you to stop snooping around in places you shouldn’t. You’ve been a bad girl, Ms. Le Fay,” said the voice.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Morgana.

“Oh, I think you do. Let me sweeten the deal. How about you stop snooping and I’ll leave Arthur alone. I’ll only go after Uther,” chuckled the voice.

“Leave my family alone!” yelled Morgana.

“Or what?” said the voice. “I can just have you killed right now. I’m showing you mercy, sweet child.”

“How can I trust that you won’t go back on your word? This might be a sick game you play just before you kill me,” said Morgana through clenched teeth.

“You probably can’t, but that’s the deal presented to you. Mordred and Arthur safe, or all three of them dead,” said the voice in a sing-song voice.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare touch a hair on my son’s body,” said Morgana, trembling with helplessness and anger.

“Agree and I’ll let you go. I know it will be silly of me to ask that you don’t repeat what happened to you tonight, but I’m going to ask anyway. It’s okay if you do, but if the police try anything, you’ll regret if for the rest of your life. Now be a good girl and agree.”

“What about Valiant?” asked Morgana, trying to stall.

“Well, you were right about him. He was the dirty cop you were looking for. I’ll even throw you a nice juicy bone. I hired The Witchfinder. Valiant was one of his. He got too messy though. I had to get rid of him. Now agree. I won’t ask again,” said the voice.

“Alright, fine. I agree!” spat Morgana.

“That’s a good girl,” said the voice while a gas started to fill the room. “Now take a nice deep breath and go to sleep.”

Morgana used the little time she had to take another, more careful look around the room. Any little thing that could help her later. The room was spotless. She couldn’t hold her breath any longer so she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. She stared at Valiant's vacant eyes and thought she stared to recognize something on his face before she blacked out.

*

When it passed the 7:30 mark, Leon started to get antsy. Morgana still hadn’t shown up and Morgause should have called in by now. Just then, his mobile started to ring.

“Is she there?” asked an irritated Morgause.

“No. I guess that means she wasn’t held up at the office,” Leon said wryly.

“Leon, this cannot be happening. I knew she shouldn’t have—”

“Morgause, breathe. We don’t know for certain if something happened, or if it’s related to Valiant at all,” interrupted Leon.

“Well, did he show up?” snapped Morgause.

“No,” said Leon, blowing his hair out of his face. “Look, why don’t you go back to your place, maybe she felt sick and cancelled on him.”

“Why wouldn’t she call to tell us then?” said Morgause.

“I don’t know. Just do it, okay? You know we can’t declare her missing just yet. Go home, do a sweep, and keep me posted. I’m going to go back to the Met and I'll do a sweep for Valiant,” said Leon.

“Fine. I’ll call you when I have something,” said Morgause and hung up.

Leon left the as soon as the call was ended. When he got back to the station, he walked over to Valiant’s desk.

“Leon? Thought you were gone for the day?”

“I was. Hill, have you seen your partner?” asked Leon.

“Yeah, he left around half 5, bragging about some girl was going to have drinks with, why?” asked Ethan.

Not knowing who the inside man was completely, Leon knew he couldn’t tell him the truth.

“Yeah, I just wanted to hear his report straight from him, you know how shit he is at writing them,” said Leon.

“Too right. No one can read his scrawl and he’s not one for typing them either, lazy git. I’ll let him know to see you first thing Monday, yeah?” said Ethan.

“Cheers. I’ll see you Monday then,” said Leon.

“Sure thing,” said Ethan.

Leon went back out to the car park to check the cars. Valiant’s was gone. He didn’t want to sound the alarm yet, it was way too soon, but he had to admit that he was getting more worried as the time passed.  
  
“Right, just go home, make yourself a cuppa, and regroup,” Leon muttered to himself, getting back to his own car.

When Leon got home, he went straight for his kitchen and turned the kettle on. Then he turned the main lights on and froze in his tracks. There, tucked in his bed, was Morgana.

Leon yanked his phone out of his pocket and dialled his partner’s number. When she finally picked up, before she could say anything, Leon beat her to the punch. “Bring the gifts that Forr and I got you for Christmas last year to mine, right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger >:) On the bright side, I'm pretty sure the next chapter will come around quicker. As usual, you lot are amazing for continuing to read this fluff filled crazy, cracky, serious shite that I write! Until next week!
> 
> x


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana tries to get a handle on things.

Leon rushed over to Morgana to check her pulse. He let out a huge breath of relief when he found it easily. Leon contemplated on whether he should try waking her up or wait until Morgause got there. He decided to wait. He went back to the kitchen and filled the kettle with more water. It wasn’t too long before there were rushed knocks at his door.

“It’s me,” said a muffled voice.

“Prove it. What was the last thing I admitted to you when we got drunk off our arses,” said Leon.

“For fuck’s sake, Knight, open the door,” said an irritated Morgause.

“Better safe than sorry,” said Leon, “you’d do the exact same thing if the roles were reversed."

“Alright, yes, fine. I would. You admitted that you used to dye your locks brown in secondary so no one would make fun of you for being a ginger, and now you’re upset that your hair will never have the same brilliant color it used to have,” snorted Morgause.

“That is not the way I said it,” said Leon, a little flushed, opening the door. “Little git. Now, go ahead and use what I got you first, and hand over what Forr gave you to me.”

Morgause simply nodded. She froze in her tracks when she saw Morgana, but she handed Leon a small device, before pulling out a larger device for herself. She turned it on and started scanning all around Leon’s studio.

Leon, walked over to his bed and used the small device to prick one of Morgana’s fingers. That caused her to stir, but not completely wake up. After a minute, the device blinked back a negative and spat out a small bandage. Leon let out a sigh of relief, signalled Morgause with a thumbs up, and wrapped the bandage around Morgana’s finger.

“All clear,” said Morgause, and came to sit on the other side of Morgana. “I’ve never been one to like technology so much, but I’ll treasure the gifts you keep giving me.”

“You’d be right too,” said Leon. “Anyway, you go ahead and wake her up, I’ll fix us all a cuppa.”

“Right. Thanks. She takes hers with milk and sugar,” said Morgause.

Leon went to the kitchen and took out three mugs. He placed a tea bag in each and filled them with water. Then he took out a tray to add the mugs and some milk and sugar onto, and grabbed a couple of spoons. Bringing it to the coffee table, he looked up to see Morgana sitting up on the bed. Morgana looked up and their eyes met. Then she zeroed in on the tea. She grabbed the duvet on Leon’s bed and wrapped it around her shoulders and promptly got off the bed to join Leon on the couch.

Morgana looked shaken, but more than that, she looked angry. Leon waited until she finished making her tea and had time to drink some before he spoke. “Take as much time as you need, then please, tell us what happened.”

“Where am I?” asked Morgana.

“My studio. Morgause started to get worried when you didn’t show so we were covering our bases before we went out to look for you. I found you here, not half an hour ago,” said Leon.

“What time is it?” asked Morgana, looking better already.

“It’s a quarter to nine. And before you ask, I have no idea how long you’ve been here. I got home a little after 8 and found you and then let Morgause know. Now, I’ve used this on you,” said Leon, lifting up the device and pointing at Morgana’s finger, “for a perfunctory tox screen. You got the all clear. Morgause scanned the place for bugs and the place is clear as well.”

“Okay,” said Morgana, taking a deep breath, “I’m ready.”

*

After an exhausting night of charades, pictionary, and other games, Arthur ended up sleeping in the middle of Kay and Lizzy. At first, when the kids were staking their sleeping spots, Arthur just stayed sitting next to Merlin, hoping he wouldn’t have to sleep next to Mordred because he was pants at comforting kids.

Things seemed to look up, when Mordred decided to sleep on Merlin’s other side, with Percy next to him, and Kay, deciding he wanted to sleep next to a spy, chose to sleep next to Arthur. He was pleased anyone wanted to sleep next to him at all. It was almost like the kind of scenario where one got picked last for a sports team, not that Arthur could relate to such things as getting chosen last, and now thanks to Kay, he could continue to never relate.

Just then, Lizzy plopped herself right in between Merlin and Arthur and settled herself with a happy sigh. Cock-blocked by a little child, thought Arthur, before hastily correcting himself in his head with y _eah, like I was going to try and pull something surrounded by children anyway._ Arthur found that he actually didn’t mind Lizzy sleeping in between them at all and let out a small smile.

Lizzy then took off her glasses, wedged it behind her in the pillow base, and turned to Merlin for her goodnight kiss. After, she turned to Arthur and looked at him expectantly. Arthur was confused at first, but then he caught on quickly and placed a small kiss on her forehead as well.

“Night everybody,” Lizzy sleepily whispered and fell asleep.

“You know,” whispered Merlin, “after this blows over and you’re deemed safe enough to be seen by the public, you’re welcome over any time.”

“But not before?” whispered Arthur.

“You are, but if you wanted to do that, you’d have to show up absolutely incognito, your pride be damned,” said Merlin, “could you handle that?”

“Absolutely. Thanks, Merlin,” smiled Arthur and laid flat on his back so he could get some sleep as well.

“Sweet dreams, sire,” Merlin teased, and followed suit.

*

“Fuck! So even though we were right, we can’t do anything about it because we have no proof, Valiant is dead, and your family was threatened all over again!” shouted Leon, throwing a pillow across the room.

“Yes. We are to remain as if the case is solved and you are to proceed back to your life. Morgana, you and Mordred can continue, and please do, to stay at my house under the pretext of us finding each other again. But Arthur—”

“I know, Morgause. He can’t continue to stay with Merlin. I really hate that I’m saying this, but we'll need to keep him in the dark about this. Both of them. Same goes for Uther and Gaius,” said Morgana.

“That’s a lot of lying we’re going to have to do,” said Leon, “are you sure?”

“Yes. Whoever it was that kidnapped me, made one crucial mistake. Never threaten my family. Whoever this son of a bitch is, he or she is going to fucking regret the day they decided to go up against a Pendragon,” fiercely stated Morgana.

“You sure you’re going to be okay with this?” asked Morgause, “we’re going to have to lie to Anhora and the rest of them.”

“We’re within reason to do so. People’s lives are at stake. This isn’t just a hunch. We have proof, albeit not tangible proof, but proof nonetheless,” nodded Leon, “I’m in.”

“Good, because things would be so much easier if we were to pretend to be in a relationship,” said Morgana.

“I, what?” Leon said, almost choking on his tea.

“How else can we make it not suspicious that we continue to see each other?” smirked Morgana. “You see? I’ve already got plans forming in my head about what to do. I won’t do anything without clearing it with you both, though.”

“Thank you,” said Morgause sincerely.

“Of course. Now that being said, I move to bring Gwaine in on this,” said Morgana.

“Why?” asked Leon.

“He has sources everywhere that will become very helpful to us,” said Morgana. “And I trust him, but don’t tell him I said that.”

“Right, anything else?” asked Leon with an exasperated sigh.

“No. So, just the three of us, plus Gwaine, will be in the know. Actually, Gwaine will be need to know. Anyone else we bring in on this must be cleared by all of us. Also, just because Valiant is dead, doesn’t mean there aren’t any more moles at both the Met and at Avalon. I’m going to tell Gwen in the office kitchens how Valiant stood me up and how I went over to yours to rant about it. One thing led to another and now we’re going out. Then, I’ll tell her in my office, parts of the real story, of how I was threatened to keep my mouth shut and woke up at your place. I’ll tell her that you make me feel safe and that I gave into my feelings and now we’re seeing each other. Got that?” said Morgana.

“Yes, I think so,” said Leon, massaging his temples.

“Okay, we’ll go on as normal at work and we’ll update you on what’s discovered about Valiant,” said Morgause with a proud look at her sister.

“Okay, good. I’m just about ready to crash. Let’s go home Morgause. Oh, and Leon, come over to Morgause’s tomorrow for lunch. I’m going to call Gwaine and get our plans in motion. The quicker the better,” said Morgana.

“Yeah, sure. Okay,” said Leon, getting up to walk both women to the door.

“As soon as you get home, check the place before you do anything else,” said Leon.

“Yes, yes, I know, mum,” teased Morgause.

“You must be knackered if you’re teasing me,” smiled Leon, “go and get some rest. And be careful! The both of you! Call me if anything happ—”

Leon was silenced by a kiss on his cheek.

“We got it. Thanks,” whispered Morgana in Leon’s ear, before pulling back with a smile, “Goodnight.”

“Night,” whispered Leon as he watched them walk down to the lift.

*

After Morgana said goodnight to Morgause, she went to her room and shut the door. She wanted to pick up the phone so badly and call Gwen or Merlin, even Arthur, so she wouldn’t be alone. With a deep breath, she hardened herself. She knew that to keep them safe—well safer—she couldn’t let them know what was going on.

She decided one phone call to Gwen on the pretense of checking up on Mordred couldn’t hurt. She grabbed her phone and dialed Gwen before she could change her mind.

“Morgana! Everything alright? Did the mission go well?” asked Gwen.

“I’ll tell you all about it later, Gwen. Just wanted to check in on Mordred before I go to bed,” said Morgana, adding a fake yawn for good measure.

“Oh, well, he’s sleeping over at Merlin’s,” said Gwen a bit shyly.

“What? Why?” asked Morgana, confused.

“He said he wasn’t feeling well and that he wanted to go over there. I hope you don’t mind. He did that horrible puppy dog face that he knows I can’t say no to. And Mordred never really asks for anything, so I caved,” sighed Gwen.

“Has he come down with something?” asked a worried Morgana.

“No, I spoke to Merlin about half an hour ago and he said that Mordred just had a bad feeling about something. He’s better now and well and truly distracted by their blanket fort party. Merlin and his lot could always comfort him better than me and mine,” chuckled Gwen, “the only one we can sufficiently comfort is Lizzy because of Sefa.”

“Okay, well I’ll call you tomorrow,” said Morgana.

“Get some sleep, yeah? You sound exhausted,” said Gwen.

“Will, do. Night,” said Morgana, yawning for real this time.

“Goodnight, Morgs,” said Gwen and hung up the phone.

Morgana had to fight the urge to drive over to Merlin’s house and just be with Mordred and everyone else, but she reminded herself why she was doing this in the first place. To protect her family. She had to push her weakness aside so that she could come out on top and destroy whoever dared threaten her family. With renewed conviction, she sat on the couch with the small coffee table in front of her and opened up her laptop. Then she closed her laptop. She had no idea of knowing if it had been hacked or not. Reaching for one of her work bags, she pulled a legal pad out and started sketching out a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a bit short and there wasn't nearly enough Merthur in it, but worry not! There will be so much more-SO MUCH MORE!-merthur in the next chapter! I should be able to post that one a little ahead of schedule like this one! 
> 
> Until next week!
> 
> x


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur only has so much control and Morgana learns to compromise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep my word. Enjoy :)

Arthur woke up being unbearably warm. He could hear voices and other noises, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what or where it was. Opening his eyes, he nearly shouted out loud.

“Fucking, Kilgarrah. Get. off. me.” whispered Arthur. When Kilgarrah simply raised his head and turned around to face his backside to Arthur’s face, he heard giggling. Before he could react and throw the damn cat off him, he realized he was pretty much trapped.

Kay had somehow snuggled all the way down to Arthur’s shins and was using one as a pillow. Lizzy was practically sleeping on top of Arthur, right behind Kilgarrah, and Merlin's face was burrowed into his neck.

Just then, Kilgarrah was scooped up from Arthur’s chest—thank the gods for small mercies—and then he was met with Percy’s face.

“Sorry about that,” said Percy, though his smile told him he was anything but.

“What time is it?” groaned Arthur.

“A little passed 9,” said Percy.

“Move over a little, Perce, I can’t get a good shot,” said Mordred from somewhere behind.

“Like mother like son,” Arthur muttered grouchily.

“Don’t worry, uncle Arthur, I got some good ones of just you and uncle Merlin,” said Mordred with a wink.

Arthur was gobsmacked. Before he could say anything though, Merlin stirred. He nuzzled further into Arthur’s neck, causing Arthur to blush.

“Did you get that?” whispered an excited Percy.

“Yep!” said an equally excited Mordred.

Arthur simply groaned causing both boys to laugh.

“Oh, uncle Arthur, you’re going to want to take a shower,” said Mordred, trying to stifle his laughter with his hands.

“Lizzy and my dad have made quite the mess of your shirt,” laughed Percy, twisting his mouth in disgust. “Come on Mordred, you get Kay, and I’ll get Lizzy.”

When Mordred and Percy got the other sleepy kids up and out of the fort, Arthur relaxed a little. He felt pretty gross with human slobber on him, but he took the time to properly wrap his arms around Merlin.

“Just for a minute,” Arthur whispered to himself and closed his eyes.

“Hmm.. Ar-thur,” said Merlin, smacking his lips and then hugging Arthur closer to him.

Arthur froze before realizing that Merlin was still sleeping. A warm feeling burst through his chest and he found himself thinking that he wouldn’t mind waking up to this every morning. Then he felt the light press of lips to his neck and bolted up, dislodging Merlin from him instantly.

“Hmm, what?” said a groggy and confused Merlin, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“You’re kids are all up, so I was just waking you. I’m going to take a shower,” said Arthur quickly and rushed out of the fort. A nice cold shower indeed.

*

Merlin was jostled awake by Arthur. He was confused as to why Arthur so desperately wanted a shower until he saw the huge spot of drool clearly visible on his shoulder. Merlin winced. He would feel gross too if someone slobbered over him, so he made a mental note to apologize. He stretched before getting up and exiting the fort himself.

The eldest kids were sat on the island table pouring some cereal into their bowls while Kay was face down, lying on the sofa, seemingly fallen asleep again.

“Where’s Lizzy?” asked Merlin.

“In the loo,” said Percy.

Just then, a small, but loud voice, rang out from the loo. “Perce! Can you get my glasses?”

Merlin just chuckled. “Alright boys, before you pour in the milk, help me clean up a bit?”

“Okay,” the boys said in unison.

“Right, so take the blankets and pillows you used and put it back in your rooms. Then grab all the base pillows and put them back in the cupboard. I’ll take care of the rest,” said Merlin.

Re-entering the fort, he made a grab for Lizzy’s glasses first and came back out. He handed them back to Lizzy who was waiting on the sofa next to Kay.

After most of the surface was put away, Merlin started to disassemble the beams. Once he finished that, he stored everything in its proper place in the garage. When he came out to the living room again, he was met with Arthur, towel drying his hair.

“Right, sorry for drooling all over you,” said a flushed Merlin. “It couldn’t have been comfortable.”

“It’s alright,” said Arthur. “If you waited a bit, I could’ve helped you put everything away."

“That’s alright. Although, if you still want to help, can you put the living room back the way it was and move the coffee table out of my office? I’d like a shower myself.”

“Of course,” said Arthur. “Anything else?”

“Nope. Wait. Yes. If Morgana or Gwen calls to check up, you pick up and let them know everything is fine,” said Merlin, handing Arthur his mobile.

“Alright,” said Arthur.

“You’re very agreeable this morning,” smiled Merlin. He could have sworn Arthur looked a little flushed, but thought nothing of it. “Anyway, cereal or toast for breakfast. Help yourself.”

“R-right. Breakfast. I’m famished,” stammered Arthur and walked over to the kitchen.

Merlin felt that he probably missed something, but dismissing the thought for his much wanted shower, he walked into his room.

*

“Alright, I’m here! The party can begin,” shouted Gwaine, knocking on the front door.

Leon saw Morgana rolling her eyes while heading for the door.

“Highness!” Gwaine smiled before it quickly morphed into a look of concern. “Gans? What’s wrong?”

“Just come inside. Not a word of today reaches Arthur, are we clear?” said a tired Morgana.

Gwaine just nodded his head and followed her inside. Although he only met the man once, it was oddly sobering to see that Gwaine could be serious. Leon couldn’t believe he was going to work a case with just his partner, a civilian, and a journalist. The risks he’d take for proper justice. _And Morgana_ , his brain helpfully supplied. Shaking his head, he took a seat at the dining table.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on, now? Shouldn’t you be celebrating or something?” said Gwaine.

“Not reaching for the food first? Wow, in that case, I must look terrible,” said Morgana, the joke falling flat. “Wait, what do you mean celebrating? Why would I be celebrating?

“You always look great, I’m just perceptive with my amazing people skills, you know this,” claimed Gwaine. “Celebrating because the wonderful people at the Met have caught the baddies!”

“Wait, what??,” said an alarmed Morgana.

“Yeah, didn’t you see the news this morning? Camelot Times posted the article I wrote. Not to mention the news gents and ladies swarming Alined’s flat for the official arrest,” frowned Gwaine. “Shouldn’t you know this already?

“Fuck, shit! This was not in my plans!” groaned Morgana.

“What the hell is going on, Morgana?” asked Gwaine, growing more concerned.

Leon wondered if he should intervene, but Morgana caught his eyes and shook her head.

Taking a deep breath, Morgana nodded to herself before she spoke. “Right, then. I suppose I should fill you in on a couple of things first.”

Morgana ended up giving him a brief summary of the entire case including the fact that Morgause was her half sister. Then she quickly informed him of the events of the night before.

“Well, fuck me,” said Gwaine on a sigh, “and you want to keep Arthur in the dark from all of that? Now? Are you mad, Gans?”

“It’s for his own good, you know it is,” said Morgana, a little doubt creeping into her voice.

“Yes, I get that, but at the same time, no. You know he’ll let his guard down, thinking that you’re all safe. What if the roles were reversed. You wouldn’t appreciate being kept in the dark,” said Gwaine.

“I know! I know exactly how that feels!” snapped Morgana.

“Shit, sorry. You know what I mean. I mean, look, he won’t hear anything from me, but I just really want you to think about what you’re doing,” said Gwaine.

“He’s right, Morgana. Are you sure you don’t want to bring him in on this? Keeping people in the dark doesn’t always help, and with this all over the news, it might lead Arthur into a false sense of security,” said Leon, flicking through all the articles and web journals that popped up the instant you searched for ‘Alined’ on the web.

“We’re not trying to gang up on you, but I’m thinking the same,” said Morgause.

“Oh, come the fuck on. Why are you two caving in now? And since when did you become the voice of reason, Gwaine,” said Morgana, standing up in a dramatic flair.

“Waking up to your screams took about five years from my life,” said Morgause. “I know you want your family safe, but so do I.”

That caused Morgana to sit back down, now drained of energy. “It was just a nightmare,” Morgana whispered.

“The first of many more to come, sister. You need the love and support around you to get through it,” said Morgause.

“But I had plans,” said Morgana in a last-ditch attempt.

“We’ll just have to tweak them a bit,” grinned Gwaine.

“If it helps any, I think we should still keep Uther in the dark,” said Leon.

“Oh, yeah. Definitely. Uther is about as subtle as a falling piano,” Morgana deadpanned.

“Alright. We’ll still keep everyone else on a need to know basis. Also, we won’t bring anyone else in from the Met. The risk is too great right now. Once we get the proof and security we need, we’ll inform our people,” said Leon.

“Alright, fine. But can we at least wait until after the dinner party at Pendragon Estate to fill him in? That way I can tell Uther that everything is fine tomorrow, and everyone can get their bearings. Arthur is a far better actor than Uther, but he can’t hide complete distaste from showing on his face,” said Morgana.

“When’s this dinner party?” asked Morgause.

“This coming Saturday,” answered Morgana.

“Oh, have you spoken to Uther?” asked Leon.

“No, but Uther always does this semi grand dinner party after something reasonably momentous occurs. And after this shit? He’ll probably make it even more grand in order to gloat about the superiority of Pendragons,” Morgana chuckled fondly.

“Can you guess the people who’ll be invited?” asked Leon.

“He’ll most likely invite the both of you, other key players of this case including Anhora, Agravaine plus bint, key board members from Avalon, may even invite Merlin and his lot including his mum. Anyway, there will be at least 50 people. I can’t have Arthur looking suspicious and scowling the whole night,” said Morgana.

“She has a fair point,” nodded Gwaine, “the princess lives to scowl.”

“Alright, fine,” sighed Leon, “though it’s a security nightmare. We may have to bring in a couple more people from our side. People we completely trust,” added Leon when he saw Morgana ready to protest.

“He’s right,” agreed Morgause, “if we haven’t figured everything out by then, which is obviously unlikely, there are too many variables to account for.”

Morgana begrudgingly agreed to that with a solemn nod of her head.

“Great. Grand. Now that we’ve got the basics agreed to, let’s eat while we fine tune our plans,” suggested Leon.

“Thank feck! I could kiss you, mate. I’m starving, but Morgana would probably have thrown something at me if I were the one to suggest it,” said Gwaine, already getting up from the table to bring the takeaway bags from the kitchen.

Leon simply shook his head and got up to help Gwaine.

“Seriously. All those naked plates and silverware set up on the table. Such a terrible tease. It’s about time we dressed them up, only to ravish them with the proper care they deserve,” waxed Gwaine.

“You’re drooling, mate,” chuckled Leon, “really unattractive, that.”

“That’s not what your mum said last night,” shot back Gwaine in good humor.

“She’s dead,” said Leon with a flat face.

“Shit. Fuck. Sorry, mate,” Gwaine winced.

“Nah, I’m only joking. She’ll outlive the end of the world, that woman,” joked Leon.

“Git!” laughed Gwaine. “You know what? You’re alright.”

“You too. Once you figure that head of yours isn’t only filled with air and hair products,” smirked Leon.

“I can see why she likes you,” chuckled Gwaine, shaking his head to show off his chocolate tresses, “and please. My hair is every man and woman’s wet dream.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” shot back Leon, bringing out the rest of the food so they could get to work.

*

Arthur closed the laptop once he finished the remainder of his emails. Then he proceeded to lightly bang his head on the table. After rearranging the furniture and a rushed breakfast, Arthur heard Merlin walking about in his room, clearly indicating he was finished with his shower. He then promptly left Merlin’s mobile in clear view on the kitchen counter, and escaped to the computer room. He had some unfinished work and emails to send and welcomed the distraction. Now that he was done, there was nothing stopping him from thinking about what he did. What he swore he wouldn’t do.

“I cannot believe I knocked one out here. Here. Where children live,” groaned Arthur, “I was doing so well.”

Just then Arthur’s mobile started ringing and Arthur nearly threw it across the room in surprise.

“What is it Pell?” answered Arthur.

“Did you get my emails?? Did Morgana call you yet? Did you hear?” said Pellinore.

“No, I only sent emails, didn’t go through the clusterfuck that is my inbox. Why, what’s going on?” asked Arthur, brow furrowed.

“Alined was arrested for money laundering and attempted murder. He was the one causing you trouble!” voiced Pellinore.

“What?? When did this happen?” said Arthur, getting up from his seat to pace the room.

“Well, he was taken in on Thursday, but nobody knew what happened until today morning. It’s all over the news,” said Pellinore.

Hearing that, Arthur rushed out of the room and headed towards the telly. He spotted Kay lazily watching cartoons. Arthur put his phone to his chest and commandeered the remote from Kay. “Official spy business, Kay. Is that okay?”

Kay’s jaw dropped for a second and then he frantically nodded his head in the affirmative.

Arthur quickly flipped to the news.

“It’s over,” whispered Arthur. Then he grinned and punched the air.

“What’s going on?” said Merlin, walking over to Arthur with some flour on his cheek.

“It’s over! They caught the people responsible!!” exclaimed Arthur. In a fit of joy, he scooped Merlin up in an embrace, twirled him around, and kissed him.

“Eww, kissing!” yelled Kay, with his hands failing to completely cover his eyes.

Arthur immediately let go of a blushing Merlin and could feel his own cheeks flush. “Sorry, I’m just so happy!”

“No, that’s alright,” smiled Merlin. “That’s great news! Does Morgana know?”

Arthur’s joy dimmed a tiny bit hearing that. “She should have. Why hasn’t she called me yet. Did she call you?”

“No, so I just assumed Mordred was staying for lunch. Homemade ravioli, by the way. Why don’t you give her a call,” said Merlin.

“Right, yeah,” said Arthur, picking up his mobile where he dropped it on the floor. Pellinore had hung up but there was a text from him.

**Pell** : _I’m guessing you’re celebrating. Congrats, boss. Check your damn emails when you get the chance, yeah? Have a drink on me! (Paid by yourself of course)_

“Cheeky, little git,” Arthur chuckled. As he flipped through his contacts to call Morgana, his phone started to ring. “Speak of the devil.”

“Did you see the news?” asked Morgana straight away with no greeting.

“Yes. I was just about to call you. Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Arthur.

“I didn’t know until today either. I mean, they told me they were taking Alined in for questioning, but I didn’t find out until I turned on the telly just now,” said Morgana.

“Oh. Why didn’t you tell me they were questioning him?” asked Arthur with a slight frown.

“You’re supposed to be laying low on a business trip. I didn’t want to tell you anything unless it was concrete,” said Morgana. He could just hear the eyebrow raise she was giving him.

“Yes, alright,” grunted Arthur, before grinning again. “It’s over Morgs. I know it’s only been a week, but it felt like a lifetime having this worry over my head. It’s over.”

“Yeah,” said Morgana in a quiet voice.

“Are you alright? You don’t exactly sound as happy as you should,” said Arthur, getting concerned.

“I’m fine. Just everything is overwhelming all of a sudden. Tell Merlin that I’ll buy him a case of wine for dumping Mordred on him so much this week. I’ll be there to pick him up after lunch,” said Morgana.

“Alright, I’ll see you then,” said Arthur.

“Everything okay?”asked Merlin from the kitchen.

Arthur walked over to see Merlin stuffing whatever goes into ravioli into the small pouches of dough he created, smearing more flour on his face when he tried to get his hair out of his face.

“Yeah, everything’s great. That’s a lot of hard work you’re putting in for lunch,” said Arthur.

“It’s not so bad. I enjoy it,” said Merlin with a shrug. “What did Morgana say?”

“Oh, she said that she just found out basically at the same time as me. I’m guessing she’s having lunch with Morgause because she said she would be by to pick Mordred up after lunch,” said Arthur, walking over to Merlin to inspect the ravioli filling.

“Just as I thought,” said Merlin, “was that it?”

“Oh, she also said that she’d buy you a case of wine for dumping Mordred on you so much this week,” said Arthur.

“She knows I don’t mind. But far be it from me to refuse free wine,” said Merlin, smiling so his eyes crinkled in mirth.

He didn’t know what came over him, but Arthur just leaned over and pecked Merlin on the cheek.

Merlin sucked in a little air and turned to look at Arthur. “Is-is that from Morgana too?”

Arthur thought about lying and saying yes, but he found that he didn’t want to.

“No,” whispered Arthur. Then, in order to tamp down his feelings, he smirked at Merlin’s blush and walked away. “That smells amazing by the way, call me when it’s ready!”

Arthur heard a muttered ‘prat,’ but he could also hear the fondness oozing out of it, so he smiled all the way back to his room.

*

“Prat,” muttered Merlin, fondly under his breath. He had now been kissed by Arthur Pendragon twice. Admittedly the first one was a semi-accident due to profound excitement and relief, but twice nonetheless.

Staring at the ceiling, Merlin let out a big sigh and muttered to himself, “I’m fucked.”

The last time Merlin was remotely interested in someone, the date crashed and burned before it could even begin. He would never be able to look at koi fish the same again.

Just then, Merlin’s phone started ringing. The screen said “unknown number,” but Merlin couldn’t ignore it just in case it was an emergency. He remembered the agony of no one answering his calls the time he lost his phone and tried to call his family and friends with a borrowed phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Merlin Emrys? The next up and coming architect of the century?” said a husky voice.

“I don’t know about that, but yes, this is Merlin Emrys,” answered Merlin with an amused face.

“I’m calling on behalf of Nemeth News to set up an interview,” answered the man.

“This isn’t a good time. I’m in the middle of making lunch. Wait, is this Mithian’s doing?” asked Merlin.

“No?” said the man.

“You must be new. You’re a terrible liar and I can’t even see your face,” teased Merlin. “Her father runs that paper.”

“One, I’m freelance. And two, it wasn’t expressly at her urging, but her father’s. Just wanted to set up a time to meet,” said the voice, chuckling. “I’m actually at lunch myself, just using my five minutes to set up a meeting before I go back for seconds.”

Mithian’s father, Rodor, wouldn’t let up on the little apology gifts over the years. Rodor knew he stepped over the line and was scared that Merlin wouldn’t let him ever see his grandkids again. Like Merlin would ever do that.

With an exasperated sigh, he walked over to his office to check his schedule on his giant wall calendar. “Alright, I can do Tuesday lunch. Is that alright?”

“Perfect. Would you like to have this interview in the comfort of your own home or would you like to meet elsewhere?” said the friendly voice.

“Yeah, nice try. I don’t invite complete strangers into my home,” scoffed Merlin, walking back to the kitchen. “We can meet at my office. If you’ve done your homework, you’ll know where that is.”

“Touche, mate. Name’s Gwaine McMann and I’ll see you on Tuesday, Merlin Emrys,” said Gwaine.

“Tuesday it is. Bye.” said Merlin.

Merlin wanted to turn him down, but Lance’s voice warning him not to turn down another interview stopped him. Merlin felt that they were doing just fine by word of mouth, but Lance had ideas for their business where they would be able to be more picky with the clients they take on without worrying about the finances.

Nemeth News was known to be a solid source for an article to come from, so Merlin had to shake his head from thinking that this article was acquired through nepotism. He and Lance were damn brilliant at what they did.

Dropping the ravioli into the boiling pot, he turned around to place the tray back on the island, only to find Arthur staring at him.

“Shite! You have to stop doing that, you utter clotpole!” said Merlin, holding a hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating fast.

“You must have a lot on your mind if you didn’t hear me walking in. I even stubbed my toe on one of the chairs and swore a bit,” said Arthur with an amused smirk.

“Whatever. Lunch is almost ready,” said Merlin, calming himself.

“So, who are you meeting on Tuesday?” asked Arthur with ill-feigned curiosity.

“Oh, someone from Nemeth News. He wants to interview me about my business. I didn’t want to do it because I hate giving interviews and Mith’s dad runs the paper, but Lance would give me his wounded puppy look and then I’d end up doing five interviews in place of the one that I turned down,” said Merlin, rambling on.

“Mith’s dad? Are you sure you’re okay for it then?” asked Arthur, unsure.

“Oh yeah, it’s fine. I mean it’s not like he’s doing the interview himself. And besides, there isn’t any animosity between us. In fact, I can’t stop him from being overly nice. We’re all in a good place. What happened, happened. Am I still bitter about what happened? Yes. How can I not? Three years isn’t that much time if you think about it. At least it’s more at just what happened. I’m not completely bitter at the people anymore. And now I’ll just shut up, oh my gods,” said Merlin, taking a breath. His nervous rambling was making him red in the face.

Scooping the ravioli out and laying them on plates, Merlin quickly tried some of the sauce from the wooden spoon he was stirring it with. Before he could take the spoon from his mouth, he was nudged to the side a bit, causing the spoon to smear a bit of the sauce onto the side of his mouth.

Merlin was about to snap an insult at Arthur, but was stopped short when Arthur used his index finger to remove the sauce from Merlin’s face. Arthur then licked the sauce off said finger without removing eye contact.

“Delicious,” Arthur said with an evil smirk.

Merlin made a strange noise and then cleared his throat. “I’ll j-just tell the kids that lunch is ready, sh-shall I?” and ran away to Percy’s room to Arthur’s laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you lot for your continued comments and kudos. It really is appreciated! Until next week then.
> 
> x


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The right connections made.

After a satisfying day, Arthur was lounging in the living room with Lizzy, watching the cooking channel. Merlin had been distracted the whole day and would blush anew every time he caught Arthur staring. It seemed to be dying down now, and Merlin started to give as good as he got, with lingering touches when passing him things like a mug of tea, or accidently brushing shoulders to get by.

Merlin was currently working on the table on the far side of the room, sketching blueprints for Arthur’s building. After Arthur told Merlin the must-haves of the building, he gave Merlin free reign to come up with whatever ideas on his own. He was going to walk over to Merlin to peek at some of his designs when he got a phone call.

“Arthur Pendragon,” he answered.

“Yes, hello, it’s DI Knight,” said Leon.

“What is it?” Arthur asked with caution. He saw Merlin look up from where he was working. Arthur mouthed ‘Leon’ and Merlin nodded his head, but didn’t get back to work.

“I was just calling to let you know that you could go home to your flat,” said Leon.

Arthur looked at his surroundings before looking over at Merlin again, the ill-concealed concern on Merlin’s face made Arthur say what he said next.

“So I won’t be able to return home until Monday after work?” said Arthur.

“What? No, I just said that you could go home. As in now if you wanted to,” said a confused Leon.

“Last minute issues, you say? Well, my things better be intact and not ruined or stolen by the time I get back on Monday,” said Arthur haughtily.

“Listen, I think we’re having two completely different conversations, mate. I just said—”

“Excuses. I appreciate you trying to rush the process, though. I suppose I’ll talk to you later or you can come by the office on Monday to collect last statements and what not. Goodnight,” said Arthur and hung up.

“So you’re staying until Monday morning?” asked Merlin.

“It seems so. Is that okay?” asked Arthur, suddenly unsure. “I mean, the case is over, so if it’s too much, I guess I can go check myself into a hotel until then.”

“No! Um, no. It’s alright. I was just asking,” said Merlin sheepishly.

“You’re leaving??” asked a small voice behind Arthur.

“Um, yes. Monday morning will be my last day here,” replied Arthur.

Lizzy’s quivering lip startled Arthur. “Will-will I ev-ever s-see you again?”

Arthur was at a loss at what to do. He definitely didn’t want to be the cause of tears for this precious, little girl he got to know within such a short time.

“Of course! I’ll visit all the time. Like that harp-like your aunt Morgana does,” said Arthur, kneeling down to be at eye-level with Lizzy.

“Does that mean you’re uncle Arthur now?” questioned Lizzy.

For some reason, Arthur didn’t like the sound of that coming from Lizzy’s mouth, so he shook his head. “No, Lizzy. To you lot, I’m just... Arthur. Just Arthur.”

That caused a lot of giggling on Lizzy’s part and he was sure he heard Merlin sniffling a snort.

“Well, just Arthur, I’m very pleased to hear that,” said Lizzy, giving him a short hug before getting off the sofa and going to her room.

“Did I miss something?” asked a confused Arthur.

“You just inadvertently sort of quoted Harry Potter,” said Merlin, smiling into his fist.

“I did no such thing,” said Arthur.

“And have you read the books or seen any of the movies,” Merlin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, but—”

“Then, you wouldn’t know,” said Merlin. “But it wasn’t an insult. My kids love Harry Potter, and yes, I quite enjoy it too.”

“Oh, well, that’s alright then,” said Arthur.

“Arthur,” said Merlin, seriously now, “you really shouldn’t have lied to Lizzy like that.”

“What do you mean? When did I lie?” asked Arthur, tracking back to his conversation with Lizzy.

“Just now. You said you would visit all the time. I know you’re a busy person, Arthur. You won’t be able to stick to your words. You’ve managed to worm your way into Lizzy’s heart, and probably my other kids, and it will be up to me to break the news. Lizzy will be devastated,” said Merlin with a sigh.

“Now hang on. I never say anything I don’t mean, Merlin. It’s not like you to assume. Though it’s me we’re talking about, so I guess it’s not hard to assume the worst,” said Arthur, a bit hurt.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I don’t honestly think you lie to children right off the bat, but I know you’re a busy person! Busy enough not to have the liberties to visit children,” said Merlin, a little exasperatedly.

“Yes, but now we’re working together. Why can’t we have meetings at your place. Then Lizzy would be able to see me. Besides, if I ever came over, it wouldn’t only be to see Lizzy. That’s creepy and inappropriate,” said Arthur.

“You’re serious,” said Merlin, a little incredulous.

“Yes, I am,” said Arthur, “what of it?”

“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but you know you’re not obligated to see my kids right? No obligation to be so nice to them, or to me because I let you hide out here,” said Merlin, slowly so he could cause the least amount of upset.

Arthur scoffed. “I know that, _Mer_ lin. I’m not nice just because I have manners. If I genuinely didn’t enjoy the company of the Emrys household, I wouldn’t have spoken a word to any of you the whole time and just fucked right off after the coast was clear.”

“Oh,” said Merlin.

“Yeah,” said Arthur a little curtly.

“So you genuinely enjoy my company then?” teased Merlin.

“Yes.” said Arthur seriously.

“Oh,” said Merlin, caught off guard by that confession.

“Go out with me,” Arthur blurted out.

“What?” said Merlin, eyes wide.

The cat was out of the bag. Arthur Pendragon wasn’t one to back down, so he pressed on. “Go out with me, Merlin. Let me take you out.”

“A-as a thank you for the hospitality?” asked Merlin, voice sounding a little funny.

“No. Well, if you were expecting that, we’ll have to go out more than once,” Arthur teased. “I meant go out with me as in a proper date. Let me buy you dinner at a nice restaurant and the like.

“Arthur—”

“No, hear me out. I know what you’re going to say. You have kids, you’re not a one-off kind of guy, I have a reputation you know all about because of Morgana, and you have kids, am I right?” said Arthur.

Merlin slowly nodded his head.

“Well, those are all true and valid points, but here's my counter. One. Your kids like me. Two. This isn’t a one-off. Three. Morgana and Gwen would skin me alive if I treated you the way I supposedly treat my dates, whether you agreed to it or not. And four. I like your kids,” said Arthur.

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but Arthur beat him to it.

“Just sleep on it, okay? Tell me tomorrow. And just remember, it’s one date. Give me a chance. If this crashes and burns, so be it, but you won’t know unless you try. Plus, you should know that if this doesn’t work out, it doesn’t mean I’ll go back on my word to Lizzy. Don’t complicate it in your head in order to give me a good enough reason to say no,” finished Arthur.

There was a small smile on Merlin’s face. “Are you done now?”

“Yes,” nodded Arthur.

“Okay, I’ll let you know tomorrow. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to put my kids to bed,” said Merlin, walking by and “accidentally” brushing his shoulder against Arthur’s.

“Idiot,” muttered Arthur, fondly.

*

Leon wasn’t stupid. He could put two and two together. He knew why Arthur was lying out of his teeth. Arthur Pendragon fancied Merlin Emrys.

“One complication after another. Though we should have seen this one coming,” muttered Leon as he started making another call.

“Morgana Le Fay’s phone, this is Mordred speaking,” said a small voice.

“Oh, erm, hi, Mordred. This is DI Leon Knight. Is your mum unavailable?” asked Leon.

“She’ll be available in a couple minutes. Would you like to wait or should I tell her to call you back?” asked Mordred.

“I’ll wait, thanks,” said Leon before he could think of how awkward the wait could be.

“Okay,” said Mordred before he added, “I heard that you and my mum are dating now, is that correct.”

Leon choked on his spit. “Ahem, yes, we are. I hope you don’t mind?”

“I’m alright with it. As long as you keep her happy. That and as long as you know that if you do anything wrong or break her heart, my grandfather will come after you and destroy you. Then so will uncle Arthur. And then uncle Merlin. Don’t let his looks fool you. He can be very scary when he needs to be. And then when they are all finished, I’ll have a go. And I’m the worst of them all,” said Mordred with no trace of playfulness in his voice.

“Of course, yes. I’ve got it. She’ll probably run me through with her heels herself anyway,” said Leon, trying to joke. No such luck.

“That’s true. Okay, my mum’s here now, goodbye DI Leon Knight,” said Mordred before passing the phone to Morgana.

“What was it that couldn’t wait until tomorrow,” said Morgana, voice sounding amused.

“Oh, right. Sorry, your son just completely derailed my train of thought,” said Leon.

“Did he threaten you?” chuckled Morgana.

“Very thoroughly might I add. I don’t think I’ve ever been startled by a 9 year old, over the phone no less. Though your son is a special case,” said Leon.

“And what’s that supposed to mean,” retorted Morgana.

“He’s probably smarter than half the constables we have so I’m sure his threats have power behind them,” said Leon.

“True. It’s the one thing Arthur is proud of teaching Mordred. How to threaten any potential new men in my life,” sighed Morgana.

“Right, I was going to speak to you about Arthur. But before that, how much does Mordred know anyway?” asked Leon.

“Just that we’ve started seeing each other. I don’t plan on telling him anything about what’s going on until everything is well and truly over. What kind of mother would I be if I told him everything that’s happened?” scoffed Morgana.

“Right. Gotcha. Anyway, Arthur. We forgot about something. I mean we spoke about it, but we never approached this aspect even though we should have,” said Leon.

“What is it?” asked Morgana.

“Merlin.” said Leon.

“Merlin? I thought you wanted to talk about Arthur, what does Mer— oh shit. Fuck! Okay, dammit, you’re right! We should have totally seen that coming. I tease them both about it, but I didn’t realize anything would happen yet. I mean it’s only been a week!” said Morgana.

Leon could hear her pacing.

“How should we do this? I mean, we shouldn’t complicate things any further,” said Leon.

“Yes, I know that. Ugh, dammit! Why now, Arthur?? Okay, granted he’s spent all his time with Merlin and family so if anything, I thought he’d be raring to go for a shag afterwards. IF HE THINKS HE CAN PULL MERLIN FOR A NIGHT OF DEBAUCHERY, I’LL KILL HIM!!” half shouted Morgana.

“Morgana. Morgana! I don’t think it’s like that. But in any case, what are we going to do? One or both will get hurt unless we tell them the truth,” said Leon, trying to be the voice of reason.

Morgana let out a sigh. “I know. I want to spare Merlin any pain that I can. You know what? Let’s do it this way. I’m going to fill Merlin in on what’s going on. That’s the best way. Then they can figure something out. No scratch that, I will figure something out for those idiots,” said Morgana.

“Are you sure? I mean, it may be easier to just split them apart and then chalk it up to a misunderstanding later,” said Leon.

He could have sworn he heard a muttered ‘and this must be why you’re not in a relationship’ but he couldn’t be too sure.

“No, that will just make everything more complicated. This case could be over in a couple days or in a couple months. And besides, Arthur hired Merlin for the company we’re going to start, so they’ll be working together. Them meeting will be unavoidable. As long as he doesn’t go over to Merlin’s house on his own and vice versa, the line between pleasure and business should be able to hold,” stated Morgana.

“Okay, that sounds reasonable,” nodded Leon, “have you actually spoken to Gwen yet?”

“No, but I did send her an email that we’ll talk first thing Monday morning. She may be my best friend, but she’s also my P.A., so she understands how busy I’ll be with the press, let alone worried employees. Oh, right, I managed to talk to Uther and let him know everything was fine. As I figured, the dinner party will go ahead. You should expect a formal e-vite by tomorrow and a formal paper one no later than Tuesday,” sighed Morgana.

“Right, okay, that’s good. Anything else I should know?” asked Leon.

“Probably. Oh, Uther’s looking into you now, since he thinks we’re dating. There’s no surprises in your past I should know about, are there?” said a teasing Morgana.

“Nah, no surprises from me. Though is there any other warnings you should tell me about Uther?” asked Leon.

“Not really. He’s impressed with your work ethics though he’s unimpressed with me dating you. He always wanted me to marry higher up, no offense,” drawled Morgana.

“I’m not even remotely surprised,” said Leon, shaking his head before spluttering, “married!?”

“That being said, you should shave your beard before the dinner party. Uther doesn’t like unkempt looking men. And as much as I’d rather you didn’t, you should get a haircut too. Actually, I’ll set up an appointment for you. That way I can make sure you’ll look good,” said Morgana, ignoring his last outburst.

“I appreciate it, Morgana, but I don’t think I can afford one of your thousand-pound-stylists,” said an exasperated Leon.

“Oh no, I’m doing this for me. So naturally, I will be paying for it,” said Morgana.

“I can’t accept that. I don’t even know how much it’s going to cost, but I know it will be a ridiculous amount,” scoffed Leon.

“I’m from old money and I’m the heiress to a multi-billionaire industry. Really, Leon, stop being a child and accept it. It’s going to happen one way or another,” said Morgana, loftily.

“I forget who I’m talking to,” muttered Leon before giving in. “Fine. I’ll be by Monday to question Agravaine and have our first ‘public outing’ as you called it. I don’t have to dress any different now that we’re fake dating, do I?”

“You’re fine. The makeover is for the dinner party. I’ll let you hang on to your cranky copper look for as long as I can,” smirked Morgana.

“Oh, I’m so honored. Anything else, your majesty?” drawled Leon.

“No,” laughed Morgana, “I’m glad you’re loosening up. If that’s everything, goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” said Leon with a smile.

After the call was disconnected, he realized that was the first time he openly teased Morgana. It was a good feeling. He hoped whatever was going on between them would continue down that path. There’s no way he could ever date someone that was domineering all the time. He had brief flashback of Mab and let out a shudder, glad he dodged a bullet on that one.

*

When Gwaine entered the seedy looking pub in the cave district, it was nearing midnight. He had to pick up on some of the favors owed to him, but he was able to get some concrete information on where he could see a man about getting through to the witchfinder.

“Well slap me, tap me, call me pappy! If it isn’t Jarl Stonecourt,” exclaimed Gwaine.

“McMann?” huffed a low voice, “what the fuck are you doing here?”

“I haven’t seen you since you used to run those back alley cock fights!” grinned Gwaine, “think that means you owe me a pint!”

“Eh, why the fuck not. Tastes like week old piss, but you deserve no better,” laughed Jarl.

“Wait a second,” said Gwaine, grimacing at the taste of the beer placed before him, “don’t tell me you’re the one I’ve got to speak to about The Witchfinder.”

“Why the bloody hell not? It’s a damn powerful position,” snarled Jarl.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. Just saying, you’re usually the top dog, not a middleman,” said Gwaine with hands up in a placating manner.

“Yeah, well, after I got hitched, I had to make smarter choices. It was like I traded in the action for a desk job,” shrugged Jarl.

“And it’s done wonders for your IQ. Look at you, making figures of speech and all that,” laughed Gwaine, downing some of the gods-awful beer.

“The witchfinder was either buying out or killing off anyone he pleased, so I got a pretty good thing going on,” said Jarl, chugging down the rest of his pint.

“Hear, hear,” said Gwaine agreed, finishing off the rest of his pint.

Jarl barked out harsh laughter. “Hang on then, you looking to take out a hit on someone? Finally coming over to the dark side?”

“Maybe,” chuckled Gwaine, shaking his head, “there’s a lot of feckers out there. It wouldn’t hurt the world or my conscience with some of the bastards gone.”

“Sounds too noble for my taste. I don’t care who the fuck these people are. As long as I’m getting paid, I’ll pass the message along,” grunted Jarl.

“So, you one of the few who actually know who The Witchfinder is?” questioned Gwaine.

“Of bloody fucking course I do. I told you, I’m still in a pretty powerful position,” said Jarl, puffing out his chest in pride.

“Good for you, mate. Anyway, I was just seeing who I would have to talk to in order to get things done. I haven’t made up my mind yet. Any chance you could tell me who I’m doing business with?” asked Gwaine.

“It’s one of the best kept secrets. You’re a fucking journo, McMann. I ain’t telling you shite,” laughed Jarl.

“Tell me five little facts about him and I’ll pick up your tab,” said Gwaine, sweetening the deal.

Jarl narrowed his eyes at him. He spit in his hand and put it forward. Gwaine had to remind himself to sanitize the fuck out of his hand, but he spit in his and shook Jarl’s hand.

“You’re a fucking fool, Gwaine. My tabs about 5k right now. I can afford to clear it, but if there are fools like you willing to throw their money, who am I to complain,” jeered Jarl.

“What the fuck ever, Jarl. Give me what I want,” said Gwaine, rolling his eyes.

“Fine. One,” said Jarl, sticking out his thumb, “The Witchfinder is a bloke. Two. He’s got about fifty aliases so no one really knows him. Three. The higher in rank you are, the closer the alias to his personality is revealed to you. Four. He may be the devil himself, because he has different faces for all his aliases. They look bloody real too. And five. He’s antisexual so you can’t shag your way to the top.”

“You mean asexual?” asked Gwaine trying not to laugh.

“No. He’s not a sexual. He’s anti. As in he’s not into that. Weird tosser, but whatever, to each his own and all that rot.

“Yeah, that’s what asexual means, you know what never mind, you daft git. I’ll pick up your tab, then I’m gone,” chuckled Gwaine.

“So soon? Don't be like that just because you've spent all your hard-earned journo money on little ole' me," mocked Jarl.

"Well, I've got work to do. And now I've got to go out and earn more, haven't I," said Gwaine. It wasn't well known that he was from old money. Only a handful of people knew and he hoped to keep it that way. 

"You should at least stay for another pint. Not that you’re pleasant company or anything. At least you can string a sentence together, unlike most of these pillocks here,” said Jarl.

“Yeah, well, the life of a hot, freelance journo. Everyone wants me,” winked Gwaine.

“Oh, fuck off then,” yelled Jarl in good humor.

Getting his credit card back from the bar owner, he stood up and clapped a hand on Jarl’s back. “Well, I expect I’ll be seeing you sometime soon.”

“Alright. I’ll be on the watch. I still owe you for the wins you brought me back in our old fight club days,” mused Jarl.

“Rule number one of fight club,” said Gwaine with an amused eyebrow raise, “and you mean the wins you forced me to make.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I am a man of my word,” nodded Jarl.

“I haven’t forgotten either. Alright, so long, fecker!” shouted Gwaine and exited the establishment. Before he got to his car, he group texted Morgana, Leon, and Morgause:

_I have an in._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you lot seen the recent shoot that Rupert Young did? If you didn't, here: http://ianphillipsmclaren.blogspot.com/2015/08/rupert-young-actor.html
> 
> It's the look I was picturing when Morgana said she was going to have Leon made up for the dinner party. It really is a good look for him. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! For those of you celebrating, Happy Thanksgiving! Until next week.
> 
> x


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur meets Hunith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that I know nothing of the real architect world. I tend to make shit up when I'm too lazy to research. Happy reading!

Arthur woke up to pots and pans clanking in the distance. He swung his feet over the bed and rubbed at his eyes with his knuckles. Glancing at the clock, it read 7:03 AM. Pulling on a pair of joggers and his old uni shirt, he padded out to the kitchen to see Merlin stressfully making all sorts of breakfast foods imaginable.

“Do I even want to ask?” said Arthur, reaching for the coffee pot.

As soon as Merlin was about to open his mouth, he got a phone call. He jabbed the speakerphone button and continued to whisk whatever batter was in the bowl in front of him.

“Hey, Merlin. I’ve got Gareth from legal on the line. You ready to talk to him?”

“Yeah, Lance, put him through,” muttered Merlin. There was a slight pause in the noise coming from the mobile and then a new voice could be heard.

“Hey, Merlin. What’s going on?” said Gareth.

“I’m surprised Lance hasn’t filled you in already,” scoffed Merlin, “Aulfric Tir-mor of Sidhe Industries is trying to sue us.”

“What? What for? Stop whisking, Merlin, I can’t hear you properly,” said Gareth.

“I’m just frustrated at this stupid-arse fecker! On the legal side, you’ll be just fine. It’ll be simple to sort it out. This persistent twat just doesn’t know when to quit!” retorted Merlin, pouring the batter into pans.

Arthur just watched, amused at Merlin’s antics. There were already dishes of beans, eggs, bacon, and toast, and now apparently, Merlin was working on pound cake.

“Breathe, Merlin,” said Lance, “you’re going to have to repeat the story. This early, all I got from you was Aulfric, selfish-greedy-gremlin, and call legal.”

“Right, so I was rudely awakened at 5 in the morning by Twat-mor’s P.A. After calmly discussing with her that they had no case against us, I had to listen to the man himself yell through the phone for nearly an hour. He’s trying to sue us for the leak on one of his properties because we apparently didn’t build it right!”

“He did use your construction company, Merlin, so tell me what happened,” said Gareth.

Merlin blew his hair out of his face, placed the pans in the oven and turned back to the phone.

“They told me that the drain pipe installed, one that could handle 100 mm of water per hour, couldn’t hand the 120 mm per hour rain. That’s why there was a leak on their 13th floor and they want to sue,” said Merlin starting out pretty calm.

Arthur peaked out of the curtain to see that it had rained pretty heavily overnight and was in fact, still drizzling

“I assume there’s more,” said Gary.

“Very well spotted, Gary,” Merlin snapped sarcastically, “since he can’t very well expect Mother Nature to pay for the damages, he’s coming after us. We, who specifically warned him about 20 times not to install those pipes in the first place. He may have used our construction company, but they weren’t allowed to order any parts unless they got the OK from him!”

Both of Arthur’s eyes were raised. He's beared the brunt of Merlin’s ire before, but in light of things, he got away pretty lightly. He just poured out another cup of coffee and placed it in Merlin’s hands.

Merlin looked up from glaring at the phone, and gave Arthur a wry smile. Cupping the mug as if it was the only thing giving him warmth, Arthur had to fight the urge not to engulf Merlin in a hug.

“Alright, alright. If there’s any coffee in front of you, switch it for tea,” ordered Gareth. “We should be able to take care of this all today. Unless you want to wait until tomorrow?”

Merlin lifted his mug and put it back down, dragged it a bit, picked it up again and put it back down. Arthur was going to ask Merlin what the hell he was doing, but he stopped, realizing for himself. Merlin was pretending to switch drinks. Arthur had to bite down a laugh.

“No, I’m coming into the office. I should be there by 8:30. I’ve already called me mum to come and look after the kids,” sighed Merlin sipping on his coffee.

“Okay, I should be able to make it in by 9,” said Lance.

“Don’t be daft. Stay home, Lance. Gary and I can sort this without you. Stay home, spend the day with Gwen and Sefa,” said Merlin, brushing his hand through his messy hair.

“Shut up, Merlin. I’ll be there. You know I’ll be able to make things go faster. Then everyone can get home in time for a late lunch,” chided Lance, “I refuse to be of no help.”

“Tell Merlin to stop being silly,” said a voice in the background.

“Sorry for waking you up so early, Gwen,” said Merlin with a slight wince.

“She was already up. Haven’t you seen the news?” asked Lance.

“Oh right. Sometimes I forget she’s Gana’s P.A. said Merlin. She must be right busy,” said Merlin.

“It’s manageable!” said Gwen’s voice in the background.

“Alright, well, I’ll see you all soon,” said Gareth, “don’t be late because of your angry cooking.”

“Yeah, yeah, bye!” said Merlin, disconnecting the call.

“So I take it you do this angry cooking a lot?” asked Arthur.

“I may have left Gareth waiting in front of a locked office a couple times because I got carried away,” Merlin sheepishly admitted.

“Right, so am I to take care of your little brats, while you’re gone?” asked Arthur, a little bit nervously.

“No, of course not. I called my mum. I figured the best course of action was to still let no one know you’re here until Monday. Obviously not as severely. There shan’t be any more tackling,” Merlin said, teasingly.

“So I’ll be here with your kids and your mum?” asked Arthur, a new kind of nervousness starting to creep in.

“Yep! You may like my kids, but I very much want them alive and kicking when they get back,” said Merlin, trying to joke, but it fell flat. Realizing how that came out, Merlin backtracked.

“Not that I think you’d kill them! And well, the microwave is still broken so you can’t make that mistake again, and I’ve also cooked enough for you all to make it through lunch as well! It’s just—”

“Merlin. Calm down. I get it. I take no offense,” said Arthur, clapping a hand over Merlin’s shoulder.

“Oh, good,” said Merlin, smiling in relief.

Before Arthur could ask about the answer to The Question he asked Merlin last night, the doorbell rang.

“That must be mum!” said Merlin. After checking the monitor, he opened the door and let his mum in.

“Good morning, cariad,” said a sweet looking woman. “I hope everything is alright?”

“Hullo, mum,” said Merlin, embracing her. “Sorry for the short notice. Everything is fine. I’ve got to take a quick shower before I go to work, but there’s food enough so you don’t have to cook.”

Arthur felt awkward standing in the kitchen. He was contemplating whether to make a hasty exit back to his room or to go up and introduce himself to Merlin’s mother. His choice was taken away from him when she approached him, herself.

“You must be Arthur,” said Merlin’s mum with a kind smile.

“Yes. Hel-good morning. I’m Arthur Pendragon. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Emrys,” said Arthur, standing at a little more attention.

“Please, call me Hunith,” she said, smiling so there were crinkles by her eyes. When she smiled like that, the resemblance between mother and son was clear to see.

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Hunith,” said Arthur.

“Such a well-mannered, young man,” complimented Hunith.

Arthur blushed a little, not used to such genuine warmth from a motherly figure. “I’ll just wash up and get changed for the day, then please, let me know if I can help you with anything.”

“I will, thank you,” answered Hunith before she went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Turning around to go back to his room, he caught Merlin staring at him with a fond smile from his door frame. Arthur gave him a small smile back and then they both went to prepare for their day.

*

“Leon Gregory Bertrand Knight!”

Leon winced as he heard his full name shouted at him. He tried to sneak passed the reception desk, but alas, he was unsuccessful.

“How the hell did you find out both my middle names?” asked Leon.

“Please. I’ve known for a long time now. Never thought I’d get the chance to use them, but seriously?” said Ellie with a scowl.

“Alright, what did I do this time?” asked Leon with a sigh.

“I had to find out that you were dating Morgana through my dad?” exclaimed Ellie with both hands now on her hips.

“Quiet! Oh, forget it, never mind. How the hell did your father find that out? It’s Sunday. This just happened on Friday! No, Saturday?” Leon mused. He needed to get his story straight.

“Uther told him over the phone when they were discussing the dinner party,” said Ellie, “but I guess I can forgive you, seeing as it just happened. You were going to tell me, right?”

“Sure, yeah, of course,” lied Leon, but he could see Ellie wasn’t convinced.

“You are horrible. Who else are you going to get relationship advice from?” asked Ellie, flailing her arms in the air.

“No one. I never ask, but I receive useless advice from you lot anyway,” muttered Leon.

“I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear that,” said Ellie. “What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be on break now the case is over?”

“Just last minute things and a couple of last minute statements I need to prepare for tomorrow,” answered Leon.

“Isn’t it not necessary anymore?” asked Ellie, “never mind, I forget it’s you I’m speaking too, of course you need everything done, regardless of whether it’s useful or not.”

“Right, yeah. Well, any important messages for me? If not, I’m just going to pick up my stuff and work from home today,” said Leon.

“Oh! Big news! It would have been the first thing I told you, but your budding relationship with Morgana trumped it,” said Ellie while smiling.

“Alright, then, what is it?” asked Leon.

“Valiant turned in his resignation. No two weeks’ notice or anything. He’s done!” said an excited Ellie.

“What!?” said Leon, a bit alarmed.

“Aren’t you happy? Why don’t you look happy? He was a major scumbag,” said Ellie, starting to frown.

“No, I am happy,” said Leon, trying to school his face, “it’s just I wanted to speak to him in person about the report he wrote."

“Right, he does have shitty penmanship, but you can’t now because he’s fecked off to gods know where,” replied Ellie.

“What do you mean?” asked Leon.

“Anhora got an email from Valiant saying that he’s quitting because he won the lottery and to consider this last case solved, a parting gift from him,” said Ellie.

“Must have been some lottery,” Leon said. “When did he get this email?”

“Yesterday. It’s not like Valiant to leave without making everyone pay for an extravagant farewell party, but seeing as he’s won the lottery, guess he couldn’t care less,” said Ellie. “Not many people know yet, but I doubt there will be anyone missing him come Monday. Well, maybe Ethan, but then again, maybe not.”

Leon ruffled his unruly curls and let out a sigh. He faked an irritated sigh, which wasn’t hard to do, and turned to Ellie. “As happy as I am to hear that, it means more work for me. Alright, I’m going to get going as soon as I get my stuff.”

“Hang on!! You can just leave! You have to tell me about what happened between you and Morgana!” shouted Ellie.

“Ellie, I’m not one of your girlfriends. There’s nothing to tell. We met up, talked a bit, and now we’re together,” sighed Leon.

“You’re so boring, Leon! And don’t think I believe you one bit! I’ll get you properly pissed sometime soon and get everything I need out of you, you can hold me to it!” gleamed Ellie.

“There’s nothing to get out!” shouted Leon, from down the hall. Leon just shook his head, and went to pick up the necessary items from his desk. Then he took out his mobile and called his partner.

“I’m inviting myself over for lunch. I’ve got new information. I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” said Leon.

“What is it with you men, just inviting yourselves over? Morgana just got a call from McMann, who basically said the same thing,” huffed Morgause.

“Well, he sent that text to us the other night, so he must have good intel for us. At least I hope. Anyway, the sooner we get this case over, the better,” said Leon.

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Morgause, tiredly.

“Is everything okay over there?” asked Leon, carefully.

“Morgana had nightmares again, I got to her just in time before she could let out a scream and scare her kid. I just felt the need to check on her before going to bed, and I’m glad I did,” sighed Morgause.

“How is she right now?” asked Leon.

“Better. She’s been busy all morning trying to control the shit storm that must be going on down at Avalon. But it seems to be doing wonders in distracting her,” said Morgause.

“Alright, well I’m heading there now. Is there anything you need me to pick up before I get there?” asked Leon, shoving reports and files into his messenger bag.

“Yes, actually. Go down to the dungeons and get me some Valerian root from Forr. If she tries to lie and say she hasn’t got any, tell her it’s for me and that I’ll restock her,” said Morgause.

“Why would Forr have valerian root here, and not in her labs at her own place?” questioned Leon.

“You know she’d rather experiment here on the yard’s money, rather than her own,” chuckled Morgause.

“Of course. You know what, I won’t even ask what she’s experimenting on. In her case, the less we know, the better,” said Leon.

“I suppose. Alright, I’ll see you soon,” said Morgause and hung up.

Leon gathered his things and said a quick goodbye before taking the steps down to see Forr.

*

“Kids, your dad said he’ll be home in time to make dinner,” said Hunith, covering the phone’s mouthpiece with her hand.

“None of them care, Merlin!” shouted Arthur from the living room where he was trying to show Percy and Kay a couple of fencing moves from his uni days.

Arthur forgot that Hunith was the one talking to Merlin on the phone and tried to backtrack until he heard soft laughter.

“No, I will not calling him a prat for you, Merlin,” chided Hunith.

“Alright, you remember these moves? Why don’t you practice with each other while I join your grandmother and Lizzy in the kitchen,” said Arthur.

“Okay!” said Kay, already brandishing his foam sword at Percy.

“On guard!” shouted Percy. Arthur just chuckled and went to the kitchen.

“Erm, sorry about shouting that earlier,” said Arthur, getting a little flushed.

“Oh, no need to apologize, it’s just a little harmless teasing,” said Hunith.

“Exactly!” agreed Arthur a bit too fervently. “So what are you and Lizzy doing? Anything I can help with?”

“We’re making nan’s famous cinna-peach pie!” squealed Lizzy.

Arthur knew he’d be better off hanging with the boys, but he never had the childhood experience of hanging out with a mother or a grandmother so he wanted to soldier on.

“Right, what can I do to help?” asked Arthur.

“You’re not secretly good at baking are you?” asked Hunith with a mischievous grin.

“No, I’m quite rubbish, but I’d like to help,” said Arthur, scratching the back of his head.

“That’s good. I only ask because Merlin’s good at making everything and this is about the only thing I can make better than him,” said Hunith with a wink.

“One time, nan’s shepard pie made dad cry,” giggled Lizzy.

“It wasn’t that bad, Lizzy,” said Hunith, giving Lizzy a little bump with her hip.

“It really wasn’t, but dad ate the whole thing so he wouldn’t hurt your feelings! Oops. That was supposed to be a secret… You mustn't tell!” said Lizzy, placing a finger on Hunith’s lips.

Hunith just made a zipping motion on her lips and Lizzy giggled in relief.

“Alright, then. Lizzy, you and I can start making the glaze, and you can start on the peaches, Arthur,” said Hunith.

“Right. The peaches. Yes. And ermm, how do I start on them?” asked Arthur, a little awkwardly.

“You don’t know?” asked Lizzy, giving him an odd look. “Didn’t you used to make pies with your nana? Or cookies with your mummy?”

“No, Lizzy I haven’t. I never knew my grandmother and well, my mother died when I was just a baby,” said Arthur.

“Oh,” said Lizzy with a slight frown.

Arthur didn’t dare look up at Hunith for fear he might see pity in her eyes. It was still a sore subject and he didn’t think he could handle that right now.

“I know! Well, okay, I can fix one of your problems,” said Lizzy.

“And how are you going to do that, my little sweet?” asked Hunith.

“Well, we can’t share my mummy because I’m pretty sure Arthur is older than her, BUT we can share you! Would you like that Arthur? I’ll share my nana Hoony with you!” said Lizzy, vigorously nodding her head.

“Erm, wow, umm Lizzy, that’s awfully kind of you to offer, but I don’t think you can—”

“She doesn’t mind at all, right nana Hoony? Right!?” asked Lizzy.

“Of course not,” laughed Hunith.

“Plus! She’s old enough to be your mummy too, so it’s like you’d have a nan and a mum all smashed up in one. A two for one deal!” said an excited Lizzy.

Arthur was moved by this little girl. He could hear Morgana’s voice in his head taunting him with _and his heart grew three sizes that day_. Figuring he was fighting a losing battle anyway, Arthur relented. “Alright then Lizzy. I thank you and Hunith for such a generous offer. I accept.”

Lizzy started to jump and down while clapping her hands.

“Settle down, love, now let’s get to this pie. Arthur, dear, you just need to open the jars and then slice each of the peach halves into four equal pieces. I reckon the hardest part would be opening the jars,” said Hunith, giving Arthur a kind smile.

“I can handle that,” said Arthur with a smile for her in return.

 

*

“Home sweet home!” Merlin announced as soon as he was in the doorway.

It had been an incredibly annoying day at the office, but Merlin came back home in good spirits because Gareth and Lance had handled everything with the patience and grace of a saint.

“Merlin, is that you?” called a voice from the kitchen.

“Yes, mum, it’s me. I’m back! Stay for tea?” asked Merlin.

“You bet I am,” said a smiling Hunith.

“Where is everyone?” asked Merlin, looking around.

“They are in the playroom with Arthur,” answered Hunith.

“I’m sorry, with Arthur? With as in they are playing _with_ him?” asked a confused Merlin.

“Why don’t you go and see for yourself, cariad,” chuckled his mum.

Merlin dropped off his stuff in his office and went ahead to the playroom. When he opened the door, it was to see Percy and Kay in serious concentration, facing each other with their play swords. Arthur’s back was to him, but he seemed to be coaching his kids?

Merlin was about to say something when he caught Lizzy’s gaze. She simply placed a finger against her lips and mouthed for him to “just watch.”

“En guarde? Ready? Play!” said Arthur, stepping back from the boys.

Kay and Percy gracefully got into position, met their swords in the initial attack, and looked like trained swordsmen. That is, until they both started to whack each other silly.

Arthur started to laugh. That caught Merlin’s attention more than the play-fight of his children. It wasn’t a full-bodied laugh, but it was filled with genuine fondness that it slightly took Merlin’s breath away.

“When is it my turn?” asked Lizzy.

“When you’re as old as Kay,” said Merlin.

“But, he’s two years older than me so I’ll never be as old as Kay,” Lizzy pouted.

Arthur let out a loud guffaw at that. “Clever girl. I’ll teach you a trick or two later,” said Arthur, throwing her a wink.

“Mmkay!” said Lizzy, squealing in delight.

Merlin just raised an eyebrow at Arthur, but Arthur raised one right back in challenge.

Merlin just rolled his eyes, trying not to smile. “Right, what do you lot want for dinner?”

“Can we get takeaway?” asked a panting Kay.

“Are you getting tired of my cooking already?” teased Merlin.

“Never!! I just want a curry, but we don’t have the stuff to make it. Nan already checked for me,” said Kay.

“Oh, that actually sounds pretty good,” said Merlin, stomach growling. “Alright, if no one has any objections, I’ll go ahead and ring Noble Khan’s yeah?”

“Yeah!!” shouted Kay, before being hit in the bum with Percy’s sword.

“I’ve been struck down!!” mock wailed Kay.

“Constant Vigilance!” said Percy with a grin.

Merlin shook his head and headed out of the room to where his mum was sitting on the couch.

“The kids want curry tonight. Want anything in particular?” asked Merlin.

“No, love, I’ll get the usual,” said Hunith with a smile, “what about you, dear?”

“I’m going to get the usual too,” said Merlin.

“Not you, Merlin, I was asking Arthur,” said Hunith, tilting her head to where Arthur was just behind Merlin.

“Oh, umm, I’ll just have whatever everyone else is having? I don’t really eat much Indian food, so I wouldn’t know what to get,” shrugged Arthur.

“Don’t worry your pretty head, dear, I’ve got you,” said Hunith, kindly.

“I appreciate it,” said Arthur with a smile.

After a long dinner filled with cheeky comments and hilarious anecdotes from Hunith—to the utter dismay of Merlin—Arthur actually volunteered to do the dishes.

“Can we have pudding now??” asked Lizzy.

“I don’t think we have anything,” said Merlin, a little apologetic.

“No, nana Hoony, Arthur, and I made pies!!” said an excited Lizzy.

“Oh? Really? Sure. That sounds perfect,” said Merlin.

“I’ll go get it, shall I?” said Hunith, already going over to the refrigerator. “Arthur, sweetie, can you hand me the knife you just washed?”

“Sure, here you—fuck, shite!” swore Arthur.

“Swear jar!” yelled Kay who was helping dry the dishes. Then he got a little pale.

“I move to forgive Arthur his swear because he’s bleeding!” yelled Kay.

“Right, Percy, go get the first aid, Lizzy, come with me. Arthur is fine, just a little cut,” said Merlin, reassuring his worried looking daughter.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Arthur tried to give Lizzy a smile without wincing.

As soon as he got Kay to distract Lizzy in the playroom, Merlin saw that Percy was finishing up the dishes and Arthur and his mum were sitting on the kitchen island.

Hunith finished placing a plaster on Arthur’s finger and gave it a kiss for good measure. Then she started to chuckle.

“Sorry about that. Habit I suppose,” said Hunith.

“No, no. That’s alright,” said Arthur, giving Hunith a wistful smile.

“Okay, kids? Everything is alright now. Time for pudding!” said Hunith with a raised voice that brought Lizzy and Kay racing out of the room.

“I bet this will taste extra good since Arthur helped out,” said Hunith with a wink at Arthur.

“And me!” shouted Lizzy.

“Of course, poppet,” said Hunith, ruffling her hair.

Merlin took a bite of the cinna-peach pie that always tasted of childhood and home and let out a pleased noise. He looked up to see Arthur looking at him.

Merlin took a moment to simply stare at him before saying, “Sure, why not,” answering Arthur’s question from the other night.

The answering grin Arthur tried to hide in another bite of his pie told Merlin that Arthur understood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a sucker for Hunith/Arthur bonding time. On another note, I may be able to finish this fic-more like novel-within 30 chapters! Not putting that down just in case I can't, but the number is roughly around there. Until next week!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret, not so secret, meetings continue and Arthur gets a little protective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I find that a lot of the random ideas I get for this fic come to me while I'm trying to sleep. Enjoy!

Leon parked in the underground car park of Avalon Tech at exactly 10 AM. He came home fairly late from their last meeting—which Gwaine so fondly dubbed as their ‘round table meetings’ due to the fact of their names and who they were trying to protect—but he already set his appointment with Agravaine for 10:30 AM.

They agreed that Leon had to bring up Valiant with him, but obviously not let slip the fact that Leon knew him to be dead. They still weren’t positive that Agravaine was the culprit, but so far, all signs were pointing to him. Morgana and Gwaine also had somehow convinced him to plant a bug in Agravaine’s office so they could maybe catch him in suspicious talks. Leon was against it at first because it was illegal, but Morgana said she’d do it herself if he didn’t so he had no choice but to cave.

He got a text from her in the morning with a simple “I told Gwen about us” which meant that she had done her part in circulating that she was now in a relationship with him. That being done, he just needed to complete his meeting with Agravaine so that Morgause can start her part and tail Agravaine for the rest of the day. They decided Gwaine would go back to see Jarl and raise suspicion about Valiant to figure out if the Witchfinder knew that he was dead.

Getting off of the lift, he was headed towards Agravaine’s office, but was stopped by a gentleman.

“Hello, my name is Pellinor Ross, Arthur Pendragon’s P.A.. He’d like to see you briefly before you speak with Mr. Du Bois.”

Leon looked at his watch. It was just ten past so he agreed, following after the P.A.

“Close the door Pell, and hold my calls,” said Arthur, as soon as his door was open.

“Yes sir,” said Pellinore, closing the door after Leon entered.

“Leon. What’s this I hear about you dating Morgana?” Arthur started bluntly.

“It just sort of happened,” said Leon sitting down. Then he realized what he was about to hear and preempted Arthur.

“Look, I already got the threatening speech from Mordred. I got it,” Leon chuckled wryly.

Arthur had an unamused eyebrow raised at Leon, but he could see that Arthur was trying not to laugh.

“I taught him well. Anyway, enough about that then. Why are you here to see Agravaine anyway?” asked Arthur.

“Last minute statements and what not,” said Leon. Technically he wasn’t lying, but they all agreed that Arthur was to be in the dark until after the dinner party, so there wasn’t much Leon could do.

“Do you need anything from me?” asked Arthur, flipping through the files on his desk.

“As of now, no. Your flat’s been cleaned, courtesy of your father, so everything should be the way it was,” said Leon.

“Ah, yes,” Arthur said with a wince, “he had my cleaning staff fired just in case.”

“Morgana told me you gave them good references in exchange, so maybe you’re not such a horrible person after all,” teased Leon.

“Excuse me?” said Arthur with more of an amused huff than one of outrage.

“Well, now that I’m dating your sister, thought we might try to be mates as well,” shrugged Leon.

“I don’t make friends that easily,” Arthur said, regaining his composure.

“I don’t either, but with that attitude of yours, I’m not surprised,” remarked Leon.

“You’re a right bastard aren’t you,” said Arthur with smirk, “we just might get along.”

“Glad to hear it, princess,” shot back Leon.

Arthur let out a groan. “Ughh, I take it that you’ve met Gwaine. I take it back. Get out of my office, wanker. If you hurt Morgana in anyway, I’ll end you.”

“I know,” said Leon, giving Arthur a nod, “I guess I’ll see you around.”

Leon heard Arthur mutter ‘fucking Gwaine’ and chuckled on his way over to Agravaine’s office. As soon as he got there, he was met with the unnerving stare of a pretty brunette.

“You must be Ms. Munh? Erm, Mrs. Du Bois?” asked Leon.

“Oh, please, just call me Del,” she answered prettily, “You must be Agravaine’s 10:30.”

“That I am. Should I sit?” asked Leon.

“No, he’s just about ready,” said Deloofi, picking up her phone to let Agravaine know that Leon was here. After she hung up the phone, she stood up, straightened her pencil skirt, and motioned for Leon to follow her the few steps back to Agravaine’s office.

As soon as he entered, she closed the door behind him.

“You must be DS Knightly,” said a bored Agravaine.

“Actually, it's DI Knight,” said Leon, trying not to let Agravaine get to him already, “I’m here to ask you a few questions to compile last minute statements.”

“Why? You’ve already found the culprit. Why waste time like that?” Agravaine scoffed.

“It’s protocol, sir,” answered Leon. He then remembered that Morgana told him to stroke Agravaine’s ego if he wanted things to run smoother so Leon switched tactics.

“I apologize for taking up your time. I know what an important person you are to this company. I promise it will just be a few questions and then I’ll be out of your hair,” Leon said with a smile. He mentally patted himself on the back for not gagging at the sight of Agravaine’s greasy hair.

“I’m glad you see sense,” said Agravaine with his chest puffed out.

“Now, I need you to tell me what you said to DS Valiant Nagendra on Thursday when Alined was taken in,” said Leon.

“Can’t you get the statement off of him?” asked Agravaine.

“I would, but no one can read his handwriting, and this is just between us, but he’s suddenly won the lottery so he just left town. Probably thought he had a better life waiting for him now that he’s come into a lot of money,” said Leon.

“Is that so,” said Agravaine with narrowed eyes.

“I’m afraid so. I was notified just yesterday about his circumstances, hence this last minute meeting you graciously accepted,” said Leon.

“I see. I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut this meeting short, I remembered I have some important things to see to,” said Agravaine, already dismissing Leon.

Alarmed, Leon looked at his watch and it was barely 10:40 AM. “Sir, please let me finish up my questions. I can guarantee that we’ll be finished before 11. I’ve got a lunch date with my new girlfriend,” said Leon, trying not to grimace at the words he would normally never say.

“What if I didn’t have anything important? Would you have rushed your job in order to see your precious girlfriend?” said Agravaine with a little sneer, his pride hurt.

“No, sir. I didn’t mean anything by it. Just, when you’re girlfriend is Morgana Le Fay, you have to work to her schedule,” said Leon.

“You’re going out with Morgana?” asked Agravaine in ill-concealed shock.

“We’ve grown closer throughout the case and now that it’s over, we decided to give it a shot,” said Leon, smiling fake-dopily.

“I see,” said Agravaine with narrowed eyes once more. “Finish your questions then.”

“Alright, well please don’t think anything by these questions. I need to ask you a couple as if this case was just starting because we didn’t get a statement from you at the start,” said Leon.

“Alright. I’m assuming you’re going to ask me where I was when someone made an attempt on my dear brother-in-law’s life?” said Agravaine in a condescending tone.

“You sure are clever as you are important,” said Leon, clenching his fist.

“Well, I was eloping with my sweet Deloofi. So there’s my alibi,” said Agravaine with an ugly curl of his lip.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were married so recently. Congratulations, sir,” said Leon.

“Is that it then? Oh, right, you need to know what I told the other guy,” said Agravaine with a put-upon sigh. “I told him that I was suspicious of Alined because he was always meeting people on the side. He also asked to borrow money from me before, never fully paying me back, might I add,” said Agravaine.

“I see. Is that it? Can you remember anything else?” asked Leon.

“That was all I said. I told Deloofi to handle it because I had an important meeting to attend,” said Agravaine.

“Mrs. Du Bois? I see. Okay, then do you mind if I ask her a few questions?” asked Leon. He didn’t have to ask, but to keep up with pleasing Agravaine, he did.

“Go ahead. Now if you’ll excuse me,” said Agravaine.

Leon stood up, walked around Agravaine’s desk, gripped the edge, placed the bug underneath and stuck out his right hand for a handshake.

“It’s been a privilege speaking with you, sir,” said Leon.

Agravaine shook his hand—a weak grip indeed—and brushed him off.

Exiting his office, he made his way to Deloofi.

“Hi. Mr. Du Bois told me that you were the last to speak with DS Nagendra before he left the office on Thursday,” said Leon.

“That’s correct. Is there something wrong?” asked Deloofi, concern on her face.

“No, mam. It’s just that you were the last to speak with him, so I’ll have to ask you a few questions to add to the closing statement. Is that okay with you?” asked Leon.

“Of course, Detective Inspector. Ask away,” said Deloofi with that same unnerving look.

“Right. What was it that he said to you and what were your responses?” asked Leon, taking out his notepad again.

“Honestly? All he asked was if I thought Alined suspicious, but after that, he just started hitting on me. I told him I didn’t know because I just started this job. I was slightly offended that he was hitting on me, but as he was a DS and I’m just a P.A., I couldn’t really stop him,” said Deloofi, speaking softly.

Then she lowered her head and glanced at Leon from underneath full lashes. “I’m glad that he’s not on the case anymore and that a more responsible person has replaced him.”

“Right, ermm, thanks. That’s all I need from you,” said Leon with an unsure smile.

“Call me if you need anything, Detective Inspector, I’d be happy to help,” said Deloofi, with a sickeningly sweet smile.

As Leon walked away trying to blindly navigate himself towards Morgana’s office, he was suddenly pulled into a room.

“What—”

“Oh, hush. It’s just me, _boyfriend_ ,” smirked Morgana.

Leon looked around and found that he was in Morgana’s office.

“I saw that entire pathetic show out there. That bint was shamelessly flirting with you!” said an irritated Morgana.

“Jealous?” Leon teased before he could stop himself.

“As if, Leon. I don’t know if you know how this works, but even though I’ve been pregnant and have a kid, I come second to none. If you’ve got this,” said Morgana, motioning to herself and her body, “it’s a guarantee that you won’t want anything else.”

Leon had no response for that. He just hoped that he wasn’t blushing like a schoolgirl. “Right then. Ready to go out?”

*

Arthur found Monday coming and going pretty quickly. He thought it would feel drawn out, seeing as it was his last morning at Merlin’s house. It was a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, he couldn’t wait to get back to his amazing bachelor pad, but on the other, he knew there would be no sense of home there.

He remembered sharing a relaxed breakfast with Merlin and his kids before Morgana picked him up for work. Work was a clusterfuck of a mess and he had spent most of the day and night trying to clean up. In light of that, he was glad that Merlin said Monday night was too soon for their date.

In his office, now Tuesday, Arthur was pretty excited for his date with Merlin later on in the evening. He didn’t care that it was still a bit too soon, but Arthur wasn’t a teenager anymore. He knew what he wanted and Merlin didn’t warrant any of those childish antics.

“Sir?” said Pellinore, sticking his head in through the door.

“What is it, Pell, I’m drafting an important email, so if it’s not important, leave it until after,” said Arthur, typing away.

“Normally I wouldn’t bother, but do you happen to know a Kay Emrys?” asked a puzzled Pellinore.

“N-Yes.” Arthur answered with narrowed eyes, “why…?”

“He’s on line one. Says it’s official business reasons,” answered Pellinore, “Should I tell him you’re not here? Kind of sounded like a chi—”

“No, I’ve got it. Hold the rest of my calls,” said Arthur, waving his hand to signal that Pellinore should leave off and shut the door.

Clearing his throat, Arthur picked up the phone. “Arthur Pendragon speaking.”

*

“Lance, is that you?” chuckled a husky voice.

Both Merlin and Lance turned to look at the rogue-ish looking man, saunter into the food-laden conference room.

“No way, Gwaine?” said Lance, shaking his head with a smile.

“I didn’t know you were the other half of E&D!” said Gwaine, clapping a hand on Lance’s back.

“Mate, it’s ‘Emrys & Du Lac,’ not ‘E&D,’ my name is in there,” said Lance, also clapping a hand on Gwaine’s back.

“Same difference,” Gwaine shrugged, “you must be the elusive Merlin Emrys I keep hearing about.”

“First it’s ‘the next up and coming architect of the century,’ and now I’ve been demoted to ‘elusive?’” said Merlin with an eyebrow raise. “Who has been feeding you information about me?”

“Well, I’ve heard the name ‘Merlin’ thrown about here and there from Morgana, and I knew Lance here had a Partner named something similar. I didn’t piece it together when I got the assignment until I walked through the door,” said Gwaine.

“One does wonder how you can make a living when you have a potato for a brain,” said a voice from behind.

“What the feck? Lamo!” shouted Gwaine in mirth, “when did you start working here?”

“Lamorak’s our resident photographer now,” said Lance.

“What happened to Elyan?” asked Gwaine.

“He was just helping out until we could hire someone more permanent,” answered Lance.

“Wait a second,” said Merlin, thinking, “why does your name sound so fami—hang on, you’re Gwaine? As in Gung-ho Gwaine?” 

At that, Lance, Lamorak and Gwaine all burst out laughing.

“Holy fuck, I haven’t been called that since my uni days,” said Gwaine, eyes watering, “but yes, that’s me.”

“You must be Lance’s best mate from college then,” said Gwaine, “it’s all coming together now.”

“See? Potato,” sighed Lamorak, shaking his head, “anyway, I’m off to shoot on the construction site. I’ll be back later.”

“Fecker!” Gwaine called out to the retreated Lamorak, who just tossed him a rude two-fingered salute.

“Now that this mini reunion is over, shall we get started?” asked Gwaine.

“By all means,” said Merlin.

After half hour of “official on-the-record interviewing,” Gwaine switched off his tape recorder and the three men had lunch and just talked, catching each other up.

“That’s why there was such familiarity with Nemeth News. You were married to Mithian,” said Gwaine.

“Yes,” said Merlin, “we’re back to being good friends though, hence her and her father trying to throw interviews at me every couple months.”

“But you could take interviews with anyone, why choose them?” asked Gwaine in genuine curiosity.

“I can trust they won’t throw obnoxious, invasive journos at me,” teased Merlin.

“Touche,” chuckled Gwaine. “So I haven’t met you in all this time because you had your mad life going on, and I was busy being ‘gung-ho Gwaine.'”

“Probably. But then again, I didn’t have any of the same classes as you lot because I was reading something so specific,” said Merlin.

“Sorry to interrupt you gentlemen, but Headmaster Caerleon is on line one for you, Merlin,” said Audrey, their receptionist.

Merlin glanced at his watch and the time said 3 PM. Lizzy should be over at Sefa’s, Percy at Mordred’s, but Kay was still at school for footie tryouts.

“Stop thinking about mad scenarios and go answer the phone,” chided Lance.

Merlin followed his advice and left the conference room in order to take the call in the privacy of his own office.

“Hello, Headmaster Caerleon?” said Merlin as soon as he picked up the phone.

“Yes, Mr. Emrys. I’m sorry to bother you at work, but seeing as Mr. Pendragon is not Kay’s legal guardian, you’ll have to come down to the school as well,” answered the Headmaster.

“I’m sorry, what? Mr. Pendragon? What’s he doing there?” asked a very confused Merlin

“I presumed he was there to pick up Kay after the altercation he had with another student,” answered the Headmaster.

“Alter-altercation? What? Is Kay hurt?” asked Merlin with rising panic.

“It was mostly just a schoolyard scuffle between boys. No serious damage,” said the Headmaster.

“Okay, I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” said Merlin. After hanging up the call, he quickly told Lance that he had to deal with something and told him that he would fill him in later.

Driving over, Merlin couldn’t help but think of how and why Arthur was there as it obviously wasn’t Pendragon senior. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t notified right away.

As soon as he parked, he entered the school's office and found the door to the Headmaster’s office open. There was a small lad frowning, seated in the waiting area, but Merlin ignored him to peek in. The headmaster was on the phone, but as soon as he saw Merlin, he rested the phone against his chest so he could speak.

“I’ve put them in an empty classroom. It’s just down the hall, room 214. We’re still waiting for the other boy’s parents. I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.”

Merlin just nodded his head at the man and left to find the room. He found it easily enough. Before he entered, he froze at what he heard. There was some sniffling going on, but that wasn’t what stopped him. It was Arthur’s authoritative voice.

“I don’t give a fuck who your father is. I’ve left a very important, top-secret meeting for this shite. You know what that means? I’m a very important person. I can destroy him in a single day,” said Arthur, voice full of steel.

Merlin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He burst through the door with an angry, “What the bloody fuck is going on? How dare you spe—”

Merlin stopped himself before he could make a complete tit of himself. He was faced with a sniffling yet smug looking Kay, and Arthur berating a scared looking kid. So the kid outside of Caerleon’s office probably wasn’t the kid that fought with Kay, thought Merlin.

“Kay, you sit. Arthur, come to the back of the classroom with me,” said Merlin, pulling Arthur’s elbow. “Okay, Explain.”

“The little shit was giving Kay a hard time so I was giving him a taste of his own medicine,” said Arthur with a shrug.

“I appreciate that, I really do, but you’re a grown-arse man. I bet you’ve traumatised the kid. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen,” Merlin groaned.

“Relax, Merlin. I am said very important person, nothing will come of this,” said Arthur, waving his hand around.

“Right, so why are you here?” asked Merlin.

“Dad, it’s not his fault! It was mine, I called him and asked him to come,” said a shy Kay.

“Rupert. Kay. Emrys. Did I or did I not tell you to stay seated,” said Merlin with a stern look at his son.

“Yes, dad, but I couldn’t let Arthur get in trouble when it was all my fault,” said Kay with a wince.

With an exasperated sigh, Merlin crouched down to be level with his son. “Okay, explain to me what happened.”

“Well, Julius is the new kid over there and he was kind of giving me a hard time. It was nothing I couldn’t handle, but when he kept saying that I was a loser, I kind of blurted out ‘losers don’t know spies!’ and that was last Wednesday. Now that the mission was over, I called Arthur to pick me up from tryouts instead so I could prove it to Julius. Then, when Arthur pulled up in his cool, superspy car, Julius got mad, called me a liar, and pushed me down. I know you said violence is never the answer, but I got mad so I rugby tackled him down and now we’re here,” rushed Kay, letting out a huge breath.

Merlin just stared at the ceiling and then over to Arthur who was giving him a wry smile.

“Is that the same story you told the Headmaster?” asked Merlin.

“Yes, except I didn’t tell him that Arthur was a spy. I changed that to ‘very important people’ so I wouldn’t give Arthur’s cover away,” said Kay, solemnly.

Merlin heard Arthur chuckle at that and Merlin had to stop his own lips from twitching too.

“Alright. Don’t think this means you’re still not in trouble. How did you call Arthur at work anyway?” asked Merlin.

“I copied the number down from his business card in your office,” said Kay with a ‘aren’t I clever’ look to his face.

Merlin shook his head. As he was getting up from his crouch, the Headmaster and the other kid’s mother came into the room.

Before anyone could say anything, the kid, Julius blurted, “It was all my fault! Sorry, Kay! Can we go now?”

The adults in the room were mildly surprised at the outburst. Merlin glanced over at Arthur, who looked like a right, smug bastard. He elbowed Arthur in the ribs and gave him a ‘stop looking so smug’ glare, which thankfully, Arthur understood. He then nudged Kay’s shoulder and gave him a meaningful look.

“Right, I’m sorry too,” said Kay, face down to hide his smile.

The Headmaster looked from child to child, than parent to parent. “Can you both agree that this will not happen again?”

“Yes, Headmaster Caerleon,” answered the boys in unison.

“Alright, both of you boys will serve lunch detention for the remainder of the week,” said the Headmaster.

“But sir!—” said both boys in unison.

Merlin cleared his throat to cover Arthur’s own indignant squawk.

“If you boys still want to try out for football, those are my terms,” said the headmaster.

“Yes, Headmaster Caerleon,” said the boys in unison once more.

“Now that’s settled, would either of you, Mr. Emrys or Mrs. Borden like to discuss things further?”

After both parties declined, they were all permitted to leave.

Once they were outside, Merlin whistled at the flashy car Arthur drove.

“What? I was showing off for Kay. I wouldn’t drive Hengroen to a primary school,” said Arthur with a scoff.

“Of course a prat like you named his car,” said Merlin with a fond smile.

“Well, I’m going to go home now, I’ll see you later?” asked Arthur.

“Actually, I hate to do this, but can we reschedule? I’m pretty tired and I have to discipline Kay at home,” said Merlin.

“Why? Aren’t all those detentions enough?” asked Arthur.

“You’ll understand if you become a parent one day,” said Merlin, “so tomorrow dinner instead? You haven’t made some reservations at some posh, high-end restaurant, have you?”

“No, I thought you’d appreciate a simple dinner at a pub,” said Arthur, scratching the back of his neck.

“Actually yeah, I would” said Merlin with a bright smile. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, Merlin. Erm, be good, Kay,” said Arthur, giving Kay an awkward hair ruffle.

“Bye Arthur!” yelled Kay as Merlin grabbed his hand.

“Goodnight,” said Merlin, giving Arthur a warm smile for understanding.

*

Morgana couldn’t be thankful enough for her sister’s magic, herbal sleep tonics. Thanks to those, she’d been having dreamless sleeps for the past couple of nights. She hoped that her tolerance for the stuff wouldn’t grow too soon. She knew she would have to deal with what happened to her sooner rather than later, but she considered sooner to be after this damn case was well and truly solved.

Taking out a folder, she brought out everything that they had discovered so far. After Morgause tailed Agravaine on Monday, they found out that Agravaine did hire the Witchfinder, but they weren’t sure if it was for the hit on Uther or if it was for some other nefarious purposes involving dirty cops.

They also discovered that the Witchfinder didn’t know Valiant had ‘run-off.’ Gwaine did say that it was only a matter of days, maybe less, until the Witchfinder found out that Valiant was dead, not living some lavish life some place else.

There was an unspoken agreement that they’d confront and trap Agravaine at the dinner party. The question was how. They had to plan it well in order to gain solid evidence while making sure that no one would be hurt. It was a risky thing to do because they had to do this in a house full of people, but they knew there wasn’t going to be a better chance for a while.

Morgana’s mobile buzzed twice, indicating that she received a text. She unlocked her phone to a message from Merlin.

Right. Merlin. She still didn’t get a chance to talk to Merlin about Arthur. Opening the text, it read:

**Merlin** : _Hey, Morgs! Thanks for taking Perce a bit longer today. Have I got a story for you. It involves Kay. A small schoolyard fight, and…_

_Arthur. Yes. Your brother. It’s actually quite hilarious. And speaking about your brother... we’re going on a date tomorrow!_

Fucking hell. Morgana didn’t know what she was going to say, but she found herself calling Merlin.

“Evening, Morgana! I’m guessing you saw my text?” answered Merlin on the third ring.

“Yes. What’s this about you and my brother going on a date?” asked Morgana, trying to keep her voice light.

“Oh, yeah,” chuckled Merlin, “that just sort of happened. He presented a pretty persuasive argument.”

“Isn’t it a bit too soon for a date? Aren’t you sick of him yet?” said Morgana.

“What’s this? I thought you’d be rubbing it in my face with an ‘I told you so’ seeing as you kept teasing us,” said Merlin with a confused chuckle.

“Yes, well, can’t I be worried for you? Arthur has quite the reputation you know,” said Morgana.

“Yeah, you and Gwen were in that persuasive argument. He knows what he’s up against if he quote un quote breaks my heart. But hey, I’m no damsel. I can take care of myself,” said Merlin.

“Of course you can,” said Morgana, indulging Merlin, “Anyway, you can’t go on a date with him tomorrow.

“And why not?” asked Merlin.

“Because it’s reserved for me. I actually have a lot of things to catch you up on. Sneak peek, Leon and I are dating now,” said Morgana, hoping that he’d take the bait.

“What!? When did this happen? I know you didn’t gloat, but can I? Because I told you so, didn’t I?” laughed Merlin.

“Well that’s just one thing amongst many others that I need to talk to you about and I think I take precedent over Arthur, no?” said Morgana.

“Well, I was originally supposed to go out with him tonight, but I rescheduled for tomorrow because of what happened today. He might be put out if I reschedule again,” said Merlin.

“It’s okay, Arthur’s a big boy. In fact, I’ll cancel and reschedule your date for you,” said Morgana.

“Alright, on your head be it,” chuckled Merlin. "I’m going to put my kids to bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be over around 6. Just me though. I want Mordred to be comfortable being alone with Morgause,” said Morgana.

“It’s fine either way. Alright, night Morgs!” said Merlin.

“Night, Merls,” said Morgana and hung up. She knew Arthur would be upset that he’d be the last to know of their plans, but it was a sacrifice she would make.

Merlin may be inherently clumsy, but he’s smart and downright shrewd when he needs to be. When anything involves people he cares about, Morgana knew that he’d be a good asset to have.

She just hoped Gwen wouldn’t kill her with kindness when she finally told her the truth. Morgana could handle threats and bitchy comments, but Gwen’s guilt-tripping with kindness could slay any beast.

Determined to follow through with her plans, she dialed Arthur’s number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've enjoyed this chapter. You lot continue to be wonderful! Until next week then!
> 
> x


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-dinner party happenings.

“Let’s just get him drunk and I’ll pretend to flirt or make a move on Agravaine. He always had a disgusting weakness for me, so I say we use that to our advantage,” said Morgana.

“Absolutely not,” said Leon straightaway, remembering just what kind of man Agravaine turned out to be.

“And why not? I never got to be the bond girl I was supposed to, so why can’t I do it this time?” said Morgana, trying not to pout.

“Too soon, Morgana, too soon,” said Morgause with a wry smile.

Leon found himself readily agreeing.

“What if… nah. Actually, I don’t know. Morgana flirting with the ole Aggravation would do wonders for his ego. It’s dead simple, but it could also be the perfect opportunity,” said Gwaine.

“Exactly. Leon, you should even be there while it all happens. It will make Agravaine that much more smug. Then I can give you a signal to leave so I can get him talking,” said Morgana.

“What about Deloofi?” added Morgause.

“I can keep her distracted with my undeniable charm,” said Gwaine to the eye-rolls of all present.

“I don’t know—”

“Look, you’ll all be there and you’ve even brought Owain into this now. Also, Uther will have hired top of the line security for his own usual paranoia, so just let me do this,” said Morgana, half scowling, half almost pleading.

Leon gave her a long look before he finally caved. “Fine. Morgause, you fine tune this plan with her later.”

“Of course,” said Morgause. “Now, we need to have a contingency plan in case everything goes to hell.”

“You’ve read my mind,” said Leon, “okay, I think—who’s mobile is that?”

“It’s yours, mate,” chuckled Gwaine.

“Oh, right. Give me a mo,” said Leon, grabbing his mobile and leaving the dining room.

“DI Knight,” answered Leon.

“Holy shite, Leon! You’ll never guess what happened!” whispered Owain.

“What is it and why are you whispering?” Leon said, trying to hold his patience.

“Valiant’s body showed up!” Owain whispered a bit louder.

“What!?” Leon exclaimed, rushing back into the dining room.

“Get into a secure area. I’m putting you on speaker. Morgause, Morgana, and Gwaine are here. Now repeat what you just told me,” ordered Leon, receiving curious looks from everyone.

“You’re having a round table meeting without me? Not cool,” grouched Owain.

Gwaine looked too pleased that his little nickname was catching on.

“Montague,” Morgause pressed.

“Right,” said Owain, clearing his throat, “Valiant’s body showed up.”

There was a gasp from Morgana and Leon saw Gwaine give her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“Full report or whatever details you have, Owain,” said Leon.

“From what I know, the body was brought in last night as an unknown. It was fished out of the port. The face was too swollen to make out. All in all, it was probably dumped to get rid of any evidence, but we’ve got our Forr on it. She’ll be able to get something,” said Owain.

“Alright, let me know what people start saying upstairs. I’ll be there in twenty minutes to talk to Forr,” said Leon.

After he got confirmation, he hung up. “Morgause, you and Morgana fine tune your plans. Gwaine, go to the Cave District and see what people are saying there.”

It was already Thursday afternoon, so Leon hoped that nothing else would get in the way before the dinner party. They were running short on time. Before he left the room, he turned back.

“Right, Morgana, how did Merlin take, well, everything?” Leon carefully asked.

Morgana had sent them a group text on Tuesday night, saying that she was going to be filling Merlin in on Wednesday night.

“Better than expected. I mean I was properly chastised, but he understood why I did what I did. He thinks we should just tell Arthur, but I got him around to being okay with our plans to tell him after the dinner party,” said Morgana.

“I still can’t believe our little princess has got himself a crush,” chuckled Gwaine.

“Can you blame him? Just look at Merlin. He’s good looking, intelligent, and responsible,” said Morgause.

“Ahh, does someone else have a wee crush on Merlin as well?” teased Gwaine.

“No. It’s just plain to see why he has a special place in Morgana’s heart. It’s no wonder her brother can see it too,” simply responded Morgause.

That earned her a brilliant smile from Morgana.

“Yeah, well, I’ve nothing against Merlin. I was just teasing Arthur. Though the last time he had those kind of feelings for someone, she almost drowned him,” grimaced Gwaine.

“Don’t remind me,” shuddered Morgana, “or him for that matter.”

Leon was about to ask when Morgana looked up and stopped his speech.

“College. Class trip to the Waters of Avalon. Sophia. His mental girlfriend. The end,” said Morgana.

“Okay, well did Merlin want to join us at any of these meetings?” asked Leon.

“Just the last one before the dinner party so he won’t feel completely out of the loop,” said Morgana.

“Alright, well I’m going to get going now. Everyone has their assignments,” said Leon with a nod, “make sure to always be careful and keep in contact with the same vague, short text messages we’ve been using.”

“Yes sir,” said Morgause with an amused eyebrow raised.

“Aye, aye captain,” mock saluted Gwaine.

“Of course, my lord,” smirked Morgana.

“Oh sod off, the lot of you,” chuckled Leon and went on his way.

*

Having done nothing but work for the last couple of days, Arthur was finally looking forward to his date with Merlin. Luckily, he didn’t need to wait that long to see him. He and Morgana had a meeting with Emrys & Du Lac that afternoon. He was excited for his vision to come to fruition through the help of Merlin’s designs. Merlin really was the best at his job, and he couldn’t be more relieved that there wasn’t any bad blood between them.

“Sir, Morgana on line one for you,” said Pellinore, sticking his head through Arthur’s office.

Arthur looked at the time before answering the phone. “Where are you? We have to leave soon. Am I meeting you there?”

“No, you’re going to have to do the meeting on your own. Morgause is feeling a bit under the weather so I’m going to stay and make sure it’s nothing serious,” said Morgana.

“Oh, alright. Do you need anything?” asked Arthur. He may not really know anything about Morgause, but she mattered to Morgana, so of course he was going to be polite.

“No, thanks though. I’ve already texted Merlin, so he’ll know not to expect me. I’ll be there for the next one, alright? I’ll talk to you later,” said Morgana.

“Okay. Call me if you need anything,” said Arthur, before hanging up and leaving his office.

“Pell, I’m going to be out the rest of the afternoon. I’m not coming back after my meeting with Emrys & Du Lac. Don’t call me for anything unless it’s an emergency. Shift everything else off to Gawant or Bayard. Agravaine if you have to,” said Arthur.

Without waiting for a response, Arthur left his office and texted Merlin if it was alright that he come a bit early. He got a response right away.

**Merlin** : _Heard from Morgana. Sure, come on over!_

Driving over to the building didn’t take very long and pretty soon, he was parked in front of a modest yet sleek, mid-sized building.

“Of course he’d work in a nice building, he’s an architect,” Arthur muttered to himself.

As soon as he entered the building, he was met by Gwen.

“Arthur! Lovely to see you,” said Gwen, giving him a hug.

“Morgana didn’t tell me you were going to be here,” said Arthur, returning the hug.

“It was a last minute thing. I was coming to have lunch with Lance anyway, so I thought might as well stay for the meeting,” said Gwen with a smile.

“True. Now, where are our-ahem, I mean my, no. Where’s Merlin and Lance?” finished Arthur, a bit lamely.

“They’re just setting up the conference room,” said Gwen, biting back a smile.

“Arthur! You’re here!” said Merlin from across the room. “Gwen, can you help us out a bit, Lance and I are a bit unorganized this morning.”

“Sure. Where’s Audrey?” asked Gwen.

“At school. She finally gave into Lance’s suggestion of culinary school, so she’s part time now,” said Merlin. “You go on ahead, I’ll have Arthur wait in my office.”

“I could just wait out here?” said Arthur.

“Nah, my office is more comfortable,” said Merlin, a little jumpy.

“Too much coffee?” asked Arthur, following Merlin to his office.

“Something like that. Okay, here we are. Ignore the mess. Help yourself to whatever you want, it shouldn’t take more than ten minutes,” said Merlin, leaving for the conference room again.

Instead of sitting down, Arthur began to browse Merlin’s office. The walls were decorated with nice, artistically-taken, candid photos of his children. _Mithian_ Arthur thought. There was a surprisingly, organized bookshelf, but that’s where the organization ended. The drafting table in the corner had papers strewn all over, as did his desk.

Arthur spotted a pad of post-its and sat down on Merlin’s desk to write him a little note. While looking for a pen, he glanced at what appeared to be an open letter. Arthur wasn’t a nosy person, but his eyes caught the name “Mithian,” so he couldn’t stop his curiosity from a second glance.

“I haven’t touched anything. It’s lying right there in front of me,” said Arthur to himself, trying to justify his actions.

_Hey Merls!_

_I don’t know if I can ever thank you enough. I just can’t believe we’re getting back together. Thank you for stalling him long enough. I know at this rate, he wouldn’t listen to his sister anymore. Sorry again that I can’t see the kids this week, but I’ll be back longer next time! The future is looking bright for the both of us. Let’s drink to that next time. Love you!_

_Mith x_

Arthur found himself going stiff all over. He didn’t really know what to think. Every time Merlin postponed their date, there was a valid reason, Morgana included. And Morgana. She hates Mithian. Why would she help Merlin get back together with his ex?

“Arthur, we’re ready now!” said Merlin

Arthur quickly looked up from the desk in time to see Merlin re-enter his office.

“What are you doing?” asked an amused Merlin.

"Look what I've found, Merlin," said Arthur.

"Yes?" said a nervous Merlin.

"A place to put your clutter. They're called drawers. And cabinets. And shelves. Use them," replied Arthur.

“Ahh, sorry about that,” said Merlin, a little bashful. “Would you believe me if I said it was organized chaos?”

“Not a chance. Let’s have that meeting then,” said Arthur, a little more gruff than he wanted.

“Right, okay,” said Merlin, leading him out.

Despite what was brewing in his mind, the meeting was productive. Merlin was all business, but with an air of his own personal touch that made everything so much easier. After the meeting was over, Merlin led him back to his office.

“Hey, Arthur, that was great back there. If that’s how you conduct your meetings, it’s no surprise that your business is on top,” said Merlin with a smile.

“Thank you, Merlin. Now, for tonight—”

“About that,” said Merlin with a guilty look on his face. “Can we—”

“Let me guess, you need to postpone again?” said Arthur, unamused.

“Yes. To next week. It’s just that, there’s so much work to do and with your father’s dinner party coming up, I need to make sure my kids are well behaved,” said Merlin with a wry smile.

“Merlin, that’s complete bullshit. I don’t know about your work, but your kids are always well behaved,” said Arthur, voice slightly raising. “Look, you don’t need to stall me anymore. I see that better opportunities have risen for you, so you don’t want to try with me anymore.”

“Arthur, what—”

“No, it’s okay. I wish you would have just told me sooner like an adult, instead of dragging this on for days. Well, at least this leaves me free to go out with Angie from Advertising. Have your people contact my PA for our next meeting. Goodbye, Merlin,” said Arthur, leaving the office post haste, completely missing the look of guilt and hurt on Merlin’s face.

*

To say Merlin was confused would be an understatement. He didn’t understand what Arthur was on about. He was about to go and chase after him, but stopped to think.

“Maybe it’s better this way,” said Merlin to himself with a sigh, “and if I really want to give this a go, I can try to fix things after the stupid party.”

Morgana had come to him last night, bearing the crate of wine she had promised. After dinner, Morgana was being evasive with casual talk until it was time to put the kids to bed. Once that was done, she grabbed two bottles of wine and dragged Merlin into his room.

“One for you and one for me. Just in case,” said Morgana as she sat against the headboard and patted the spot next to her.

“Okay, I feel like I can officially be worried now,” said Merlin, going over to sit next to her and tucking them both in the blankets.

“Why do you say that?” asked Morgana.

“If it was good news, we’d have the wine glasses with us. You’ve only brought the bottles. Now come on, no more being evasive,” said Merlin with a meaningful look.

Morgana uncorked her bottle of wine, took a sip, and let out a sigh. Then she passed it to Merlin. He held on to it while Morgana gathered her thoughts.

“So, I may have lied to you by omission,” said Morgana with a grimace.

“Continue,” said Merlin, trying to ease his anxiety.

It turned out that was all he needed to say as Morgana just started to spill everything. From being suspicious of Agravaine to her being kidnapped—Merlin opened his own bottle after that—to the little round table meetings and the plans for the dinner party.

“Morgana Vivienne Le Fay Pendragon! Arthur is still in the dark about this? You were really not going to tell me any of this? And Gwen?” admonished Merlin.

Morgana winced. “I told you, I’m going to tell Arthur after the party. Please. I’ve already worked out a plan with the rest of the group.”

“Morgana—”

“I would have told the both of you everything afterwards! I was thinking of the safety of both you and your families. Why would I want to involve you guys in this?” anguished Morgana.

“Regardless of whether I actually become involved or not, I’m here for you. Or was that brilliant speech I gave all for nothing?” Merlin said, trying to hide the hurt.

“Merl—”

Merlin let out a huge sigh that stopped Morgana from speaking further. He took a minute to think.

“I understand why you did what you did Morgana. Thank you for thinking of my kids. I appreciate that. I really do. But you’re family too,” said Merlin in earnest, “Just no more of this nonsense okay? I don’t care if it’s something completely mental as you getting hit on by internet scammers. If something bothers you, tell me about it.”

“If you promise to do the same,” said Morgana with a hint of a smile.

“Fine,” said Merlin holding up his bottle, “to not keeping any more secrets.”

“I’ll drink to that,” said Morgana, tapping her bottle to his. “Okay, neither of us should drink anymore. It’s still the weekday.”

“Still, couldn’t skimp out on the drama of me opening the other bottle,” said Merlin with a chuckle.

“I’ll give you that,” said Morgana, putting both their bottles on the floor.

“How bad are the nightmares,” asked Merlin in a softer voice.

Morgana placed her head on Merlin’s shoulder and looped her arm in his.

“The tonic Morgause makes really helps. Without them, I’m prone to wake up screaming,” said Morgana in a whisper.

“After this damn dinner party, go and see Gaius. He really is a brilliant man,” said Merlin with pride.

“I thought he was retired,” said Morgana, drawing patterns on the duvet covering her knees.

“Only half-retired. Whatever that means. And even if he was, he would still take you in. It’s just the kind of man he is,” said Merlin with a smile.

“Alright. Oh, you’re going to have to keep things professional for the time being, Merlin,” said Morgana, not looking at him.

“What do you—oh, you mean Arthur,” said Merlin.

“Yes. Until we get this figured out, if it’s known that you have a personal connection to Arthur, that could put you in danger. I’m so sorry, I really wish that it wasn’t like this,” said Morgana, grasping his arm a little tighter.

“Yeah, me too. It’s okay. I’m sure Arthur will understand later. He’ll probably be a little annoyed, but if he really is sincere about trying whatever this is, it should be fine,” said Merlin with a nod of his head.

“Arthur may not be the brightest, but he’s a good man. I think you make him want to be better. Regardless of whether you two work out or not, he’s better for having met you,” said Morgana, this time looking at Merlin.

So much for probably being a little annoyed. Arthur cancelled their date altogether and even said he’d move on to the next person.

“Do I really want to try this though?” Merlin muttered to himself.

“Try what?” asked Lance.

Merlin swirled around from his desk to see Lance leaning on the door frame. “Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself as usual.”

“Alright. Where’s Arthur? Did he leave already?” asked Lance, looking around as if Arthur was hiding or something ridiculous.

“You can stop that,” said Merlin, rolling his eyes, “he left in a bit of a rush. Must have something else scheduled.”

“Right, well, just came in to tell you to tell your mum thanks for taking in Sefa today. Gwen’s been super busy keeping the chaos to a minimum at her work that we haven’t had much time for us,” said Lance.

“Leave it to her to schedule the whole day as a date night,” chuckled Merlin. “Come pick up Sefa whenever or she can even spend the night if you guys forget in a fit of passion.”

“Nah, you’ve got your own date to worry about, I’ll be on time,” said Lance with a wink.

“Oh, yeah no. That’s off. Just scheduling got too complicated. Perhaps we’ll try another time,” said Merlin with shrug.

Lance gave Merlin a thoughtful look. “That wasn’t the real reason Arthur rushed to get out of here was it? You can’t shy away from these things, Merls.”

“He’s the one that cancelled. Though, it could be because I had to reschedule it so many times,” said Merlin putting his hand up to stop Lance from speaking, “all with valid reasons as you know.”

“Okay, fine. So no curfew?” asked Lance.

“None whatsoever. I’m going to pick the lot up from school now. You kids behave,” said Merlin, clasping Lance on the shoulder before leaving.

“Aren’t you going to take your messenger bag with you?” asked Lance.

“Right. Almost forgot, thanks,” said Merlin going back for his bag.

“And your keys, Merlin,” said Lance, starting to look a little concerned again.

“Can’t forget those,” Merlin said with a smile he wasn’t really feeling. He checked his pockets for his phone and wallet and then turned back to Lance.

“I’ve got everything now. May I be excused?” teased Merlin.

“Yes, alright, fine. I’ll talk to you later,” said Lance.

Grateful that Lance didn’t say anything further, Merlin gave Lance a more genuine smile and finally left to go pick up his kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trouble in paradise before they even reach it! 
> 
> So, I will definitely finish this fic before the year is through, come hell or high water. I'll probably double post next week and the week after if I must. Until then!
> 
> x


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dinner Party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early, long chapter update! Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

“Angie from Advertising are you fucking kidding me?” hissed Morgana.

Arthur groaned. He must be having a nightmare. He pushed his head further into his pillow.

“Arthur!” yelled Morgana, snatching his pillow away.

“Ugh, what!?” grouched Arthur.

“You’re hungover too? What the hell is this? Here I am, thinking you were sick! So, out of the goodness of my heart, I came to check on you. But no, you’ve bunked off work, which you hardly ever do anymore, because you’re hungover??” Morgana yelled on.

“Morganaaaaa,” Arthur whined.

“Get in the fucking shower. I’ll have your coffee ready once you’re done. Then you will explain what you did this time,” said Morgana, ripping the duvet off the bed.

“Morgana!” Arthur yelled, grabbing a pillow to cover his bits.

“Oh, please, nothing impressive to see,” sneered Morgana.

Arthur let out an indignant squawk.

“If it makes you feel better, I turned my head so I didn’t see anything. Now baby brother, go fucking wash yourself,” Morgana said in a huff and marched out of his room.

Looking at his bed as a lost cause, Arthur went for a quick shower. Putting on his suit for work, he emerged out of his room 20 minutes later.

“There were rumors at work that Angie from Advertising was your latest conquest. I thought, ‘that can’t be, Arthur is trying things out with Merlin.’ To my disappointment, Bohrs downstairs told me there was a lady on your arm when you came home last night,” said Morgana with a highly unimpressed eyebrow raised.

“I knew he was the one feeding you information,” Arthur muttered.

“That’s beside the point!” said Morgana with a raised voice. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing happened, okay?” Arthur groused.

Morgana scoffed. “Am I really to believe that, Arthur?”

“Yes. Hence why I am hungover. We only got as far as snogging before I chucked her out. Nicely of course,” Arthur added.

“And how does one ‘chuck out nicely,’” asked Morgana.

“By lying,” said Arthur rolling his eyes, but regretting that action as his head was still pounding.

Morgana turned around, opened the cupboard, took out a bottle of paracetamol and slid it over to Arthur along with a glass of water. Arthur was about to ask for his coffee before Morgana’s glare silenced him. He took his pills and then looked to see Morgana nod her head and then grab a mug of coffee for him.

“Why would you be hungover because you chucked her out? Doesn’t make any sense. Unless you were mortified that you couldn’t get it up,” Morgana teased.

“We are not talking about my prowess in bed,” Arthur said in shock. “Everything there is working just fine, thank you very much!”

“Then explain,” said Morgana, patiently.

“I cancelled my date with Merlin. Tried going out with Angie to get my mind off it. Mid snog, I saw the drawing Lizzy gave me on the coffee table and couldn’t do it,” Arthur muttered sheepishly.

“And what, you tried to drink your feelings away?” said Morgana.

“Nooo,” said Arthur, sounding like a child even to himself.

“Why did you cancel anyway? Is it really that frightening for you to want a real relationship?” asked Morgana.

“You don’t even know why I cancelled,” said Arthur, starting to get annoyed.

“Which is why I’m asking you, my idiot brother. So tell me,” said Morgana, a little softer.

“Merlin’s getting back together with his ex. He was just stringing me along until he was sure,” said Arthur in a put out voice.

Morgana just stared at Arthur. Then she snorted and started laughing.

“It’s not funny. Why couldn’t he have been an adult about it and just told me no? Was I his backup plan?” said Arthur, trying not to look hurt at Morgana’s laughter.

“Oh, Wart, you silly bastard. What the hell gave you that idea?” said Morgana, wiping the bottom of her eyes, “Merlin would never get back together with her.”

“I saw the letter,” said Arthur.

“What letter?” asked Morgana.

“It was on his desk. They’re getting back together,” Arthur insisted.

“Arthur. Don’t you think I’d know it if he was?” said Morgana.

“Maybe he was keeping it a surprise?” said Arthur.

“Look, I can guarantee you that they aren’t getting back together. If I’m wrong, I’ll do whatever you want me to, I’m that confident. Did you hear the words from his mouth as well?” asked Morgana.

“Well, no. But the letter—”

“Don’t tell me you were just snooping through his stuff, jumped to conclusions, and mucked it all up,” said Morgana, giving Arthur a chastising look.

Arthur couldn’t say anything because that was basically what happened.

“Gods! Fix it. Talk to him,” said an exasperated Morgana.

“But—”

“No. After the dinner party, forget your damn pride and just ask him,” said Morgana.

“Fine. I’ll talk to him,” capitulated Arthur.

“Good. Now hurry up and go to work. I’ve got places to go, people to meet, and not enough time to fix your mess. Angie from Advertising,” Morgana scoffed once more.

“She’s fit!” Arthur tried for a last ditch reason.

“And the biggest slag of the century. I thought that’s why you stayed away too,” Morgana countered.

“Whatever. Go away. I’ll talk to you later,” sighed Arthur, heading back to his room for his briefcase.

Before Morgana left his flat, she turned around and said, “Don’t even think about sacking Bohrs. I’ll just rehire him,” and shut the door.

Arthur muttered small curses at Morgana throughout his drive to work.

*

Morgana mentally crossed off ‘check on Arthur’ and added ‘check on Merlin’ to her list of shit to do. She used the couple hours she spent at work to check on the preparations for the dinner party the next day. Now she was on her way to pick up Leon for lunch and his makeover. Morgana was lowkey very excited for that.

Always up for making an entrance, she parked right in front of the Yard. A gentleman ahead of her saw her reflection in the mirrored doors and rushed to open it for her.

“Cheers,” said Morgana, gliding past him before stopping in front of a very familiar person. “Elena! I forgot you worked here.”

“Oh hello, Morgana!” Ellie beamed, “what brings you here?”

“I’m here to pick Leon up for lunch and such. I will see you at the dinner party, yes?” asked Morgana.

“Oh, I don’t know, I might ruin Uther’s big do by tripping and breaking something important,” said Ellie with a wistful look.

“Nonsense. Please come. Gwaine is going to be there,” Morgana teased.

“Oh, will he?” Ellie said with a blush, “does his hair still look the same?”

“Does it ever. He’ll have that hair until he drops dead. I’m surprised you have to ask. Haven’t you seen him around? He wrote a couple of articles surrounding the whole case,” said Morgana.

“We always missed each other,” said Ellie with a sigh.

“So you still nursing that crush on him?” teased Morgana.

“It’s been too long since I’ve last seen him. I don’t know,” said Ellie with a shrug.

“Well, you’ll find out at the party, won’t you? Ah, Leon, tell Elena she must come to the party,” said Morgana, beckoning to Leon who was coming out to the front.

“Maybe it’s better if—

Morgana glared.

—you must come to the party,” Leon finished with a sigh.

“That was amazing. Okay, if anything, I have to come to witness more of that,” said an excited Ellie.

“Oh shut up, Ellie,” said Leon, ruffling her hair.

“Leon!” said both Ellie and Morgana.

"What?!" said Leon, practically jumping back in alarm.

“You never ruin a woman’s hair,” said Morgana.

“Exactly,” Ellie nodded, trying to look serious while biting back a smile.

“Whatever. I’m ready when you are,” said Leon.

“You won’t be coming back here, so have everything you need,” said Morgana, “we’ll finish off the day with dinner to talk about tomorrow.”

“Yep, I’ve got everything,” said Leon, patting his messenger bag.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Elena,” said Morgana, already walking out the door and missing Ellie waggling her eyebrows at Leon.

After a nice lunch that Leon absolutely insisted on paying for, Morgana drove up to the cottage at the edge of the city.

“Is this where you kill me and leave my body?” asked Leon, looking at his surroundings.

“Don’t be silly, I wouldn’t use this location for that,” Morgana shot back smoothly before adding, “this is where Geraint lives.”

“Your thousand-pounds stylist works in a cottage?” asked Leon.

“Oi, what’s wrong with my cottage? Built her with my own two hands!” said a voice from inside.

“Liar. Should I call Merlin to confirm?” teased Morgana.

“Nope. Hi, I’m Geraint. I’ll be making you look better,” said a scruffy looking man in a loose tee and joggers.

“As this is going to take some time, I’m going to leave to finish off the rest of things I need to do today. Think you’ll be finished within two hours?” asked Morgana.

“Two hours!?” commented Leon, “what could possibly take two hours?”

“Yep, I’ll see you then. I’ll have your man looking good,” said Geraint with a wink before turning to Leon with a reassuring clap to his shoulder. “Don’t worry, mate. I’m good at my job.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. If Morgana can trust you with her hair, I can certainly trust you with mine. I’m just… two hours?” said Leon.

Morgana caught herself smiling at Leon’s comment. Leon was a breath of fresh air. Not the average fawn-over-tits bloke who couldn’t hold a conversation to save his life. Once this case was truly over with, she decided that she wouldn’t wait for him to make the first move and she’d ask him out herself.

*

“Holy feck, mate. Mate! You clean up nice,” said Gwaine, with a whistle.

“It’s a nice look,” Morgause agreed with a smile.

“Cheers,” said Leon, a bit impressed with how his ‘makeover’ turned out. He still wasn’t completely sure what was done to take two hours, but at least it was done. Leon was not a vain person, but that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the compliments he kept receiving.

“And what? It didn’t cost a thousand pounds,” smirked Morgana.

“True, but the suit you bought me cost more than double that,” Leon rolled his eyes, “how did you get me a fitted suit on such short notice? And without me there?”

“Please. I sized you up the first day we met. I had the suit commissioned earlier in the week,” said Morgana with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Leon knew she meant both physically and mentally. He hoped he wasn’t found lacking.

“Anyway, Owain told me to say that he thinks we’re a bunch of tossers for having another meeting without him. He’s not here because he’s working with Uther’s hired security team. I’ll be the one to fill him in later. Gwaine, your report?” asked Leon.

“Well, officially? The Witchfinder has completely washed his hands of whoever hired him. Jarl said he was pissed that one of his best dirty cops was killed, but he decided to make an executive, business decision and stay away instead of seeking revenge,” said Gwaine.

“Shit. Then the Witchfinder is a dead end?” asked Leon, still not used to running his hand through his shorter hair.

“Basically. But we were never after him anyway. That would have been impossible. I think it’s a good thing. Don’t want to be dealing with too many unknown variables,” said Gwaine.

“McMann has a point. We’ve got proof that Agravaine has worked with the Witchfinder on our end. Yes, we still don’t know what exactly was done for him, but I think we have enough for Agravaine to confess when cornered,” said Morgause.

“Fair enough. Is Merlin okay with missing this meeting? I know he wanted to come to the last one,” Leon asked Morgana.

“Yeah, he said to just let him know if there was anything really important he should know. Besides, letting Mordred sleepover there gives us a lot more room to go over tomorrow,” said Morgana.

“True. Are there going to be any other children present?” asked Leon.

“Not that I know of,” said Morgana, “but regardless, Hunith agreed to be in charge of the children. She said she’d much rather have something to do than trail after Merlin or Gaius. Her words.”

“That works out well if anything gets too crazy,” said Morgause.

“Yeah, Merlin thought so too. He also said that while I flirt with Agravaine, that maybe Gwaine could flirt with Deloofi to try and get something out of her,” said Morgana.

“I find myself liking Merlin more every time I hear of him,” said Gwaine with a smile.

After several hours of careful planning, Leon knew that they’d planned enough and needed rest more than anything.

“Alright. Everyone knows what to do. Here’s to everything being over and done with tomorrow,” said Leon, lifting up his glass of water.

“Cheers to that,” said Gwaine, lifting his can of beer.

“Absolutely,” said Morgana raising her glass of wine.

“To tomorrow,” said Morgause, lifting her glass of water as well.

Leon really hoped they would be able to move past this case once and for all.

*

“Auntie Gana!!” squealed a little voice from the door.

Uther turned to look at the source of the noise. He momentarily forgot that there would be children besides Mordred and Sefa at his dinner party.

“Hello, Lizzy. Kay. Perce. Mordred and Sefa are in the library. Why don’t I have George escort you there?” said a kneeling Morgana.

“Where’s Arthur??” asked a distracted Lizzy.

“Right here,” said Arthur, entering the room.

“Hi!! I’ve missed you!” said Lizzy, running to hug Arthur’s leg.

Uther was surprised at the reaction and doubly surprised when Arthur didn’t show a trace of discomfort or disgust.

“And how have you been?” asked Arthur.

“Alright. Though something must be on daddy’s mind,” the child whispered too loudly, “we had white pasta for dinner last night.”

Uther hardly knew what that meant, but he did see Arthur wince a little.

“Sorry to hear that,” said Arthur.

“It’s okay. At least it's still a bit tasty. And besides, we’re here now so you can make it better,” said Lizzy with a smile before turning to look over at Uther.

Uther froze, not knowing what to do. It had been a while since he had to interact with more than one child.

“Hello. My name is Elizabeth Emrys, but you can call me Lizzy. Everyone does,” said the little girl, holding out her hand.

Morgana tried to bite back a laugh.

“How do you do. My name is—

“Grampa Uther. Yes! Aunt Gana and Arthur’s daddy!” said the little girl.

Uther saw Arthur blanch a little when he was interrupted, but Arthur seemed to just smile fondly at the little girl after.

“Yes. That’s correct. How do you do?” replied Uther.

“I’m great, thank you. You have a lovely house, Grampa Uther,” said Lizzy.

“This is for you, sir. The name is Kay Emrys,” said another child, holding out a bottle of wine.

The little girl shoved him with her elbow and whispered, “That’s not your full name!”

“That’s alright,” said Uther, not wanting a sibling quarrel, “no need to be so formal.”

“Oh, well, I guess that’s okay then. We practiced for this. Ahem!” said Lizzy.

“Hello, sir. My name is Percival Emrys,” said the tallest of the three.

“Good to meet you all. Now why don’t you allow George to—”

“Daaad!” Lizzy hissed under her breath.

Then a smartly dressed young man stepped up from behind Morgana.

“Hello, sir. My name is Merlin Emrys. It is good to finally meet you. You’ve raised formidable children,” said Merlin with a good-natured smile.

“Thank you. You have fine children yourself,” responded Uther.

“I’ll take the children to the library. Hunith is already here. I’m still upset that Arthur got to meet her before me, but she’s even more amazing in person so I forgive you,” said Morgana to Merlin.

“I’ll—”

“You, dear brother, will show Merlin around,” said Morgana with an eyebrow reminiscent of Gaius.

Uther saw Merlin give Arthur a small, unsure smile. Something must have happened. Uther ignored it in favor of greeting his other guests. If it was important, he’d figure out what happened later.

*

“Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, not drinking?” asked Arthur after Merlin scooped up his second glass of champagne.

“Nah, mum’s going to take the kids with her. I have sort of a ‘free-reign’ tonight,” said Merlin.

“At least slow down then,” scowled Arthur.

“Don’t worry. I could probably drink you under the table. Why, you afraid I’m going to embarrass you in front of your date? Where is she by the way,” Merlin tried teasing.

“What date? I don’t have one,” said Arthur, a little confused.

“Erm, Angie from Advertising?” said Merlin.

“Oh, I already went out with her. I wouldn’t bring her to an important dinner party,” said Arthur.

“Oh,” said Merlin.

Arthur didn’t know if that was the sound of disappointment or relief. It sounded like both.

“Merlin! Come meet some of my people,” said Lucan.

“Come on then,” said Arthur, walking with Merlin to a group of people from The Met.

“You already know Leon. This is Ewan Cador, my partner. This is Drea Barnes, and oh look at what the cat finally dragged in. Her partner. Owain Montague,” chuckled Lucan.

“Alright Merlin?” greeted Leon.

“Everything is great,” said Merlin, “Great. Good to meet you all. Lucan, is Freya here?”

“Yeah, she’s in the library with your mum and the kids. Didn’t want to have to try and impress anyone tonight,” said Lucan.

“Ah. Emrys. Merlin Emrys. We meet at last!” said Owain with a bright smile and a wink.

Arthur stiffened a bit at the wink. Why was this person winking at Merlin?

“It’s good to finally meet you, Owain. Did you just arrive?” asked Merlin.

“Did I just arrive? Did I just arrive, he says. Nah, I’ve been here for a while now. Coordinating with Uther’s hired security. I’m that important, aren’t I,” said Owain, puffing out his chest a little.

Merlin paled a little at that, Arthur couldn’t fathom why, but before he could ask, Merlin made his excuses and whisked himself off.

“He’s not feeling very well,” said Arthur, “if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go check on him.”

It took Arthur a good ten minutes to find Merlin, but when he did, he was on the phone.

“Yes, Mith. Of course I’m happy. Everyone deserves second chances. Yes, even you,” chuckled Merlin.

Arthur froze when he heard that. He didn’t need to hear anymore. First the letter, then the phone call. He’d heard enough. He bumped into Morgana, storming off to the other direction.

“Arthur, where are you going?” shouted Morgana.

“To my room!” Arthur shouted back and disappeared behind the corner.

*

Morgana shook her head at Arthur’s disappearing back, but she couldn’t pay him any attention. She had a job to do. With Gwaine successfully getting rid of Deloofi and Leon having gathered Agravaine into the smoking room, Morgana went to the kitchen to grab two glasses of champagne.

She dipped her finger in her glass, and wiped it across the sides of her neck to give off the smell even more. Then, she picked up the glasses and walked to the smoking room. However, before she got there, she found the door to Uther’s study ajar. That was weird considering Uther always kept the door locked when guest were over. She put down the glasses by the window and texted Leon to come to the study.

Morgana wasn’t stupid. It might be nothing, but she wasn’t going to be without backup. Waiting another minute, she calmly picked up both glasses and walked into the study.

The door opened to papers strewn everywhere. In the middle of all the mess was Deloofi, crouched over Uther’s files, still digging around, looking for something.

“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing,” said Morgana with a raised voice.

Deloofi quickly stood up and looked at Morgana with a deer in the headlights look.

Morgana heard footsteps and found Leon just behind her.

“What the—”

Then Deloofi simply burst into tears.

“What is going on,” Morgana repeated with ice in her voice.

“Oh, Morgana, I’m so sorry. He made me. He said that if I didn’t do this, he’d divorce me,” cried Deloofi.

Morgana wasn’t falling for the fake tears bit, but to her dismay, Leon did.

“Agravaine put you up to this?” asked Leon.

“Yes. He wanted me to steal the deed to this house. I don’t know why,” Deloofi continued to cry.

“Can you testify to that?” asked Leon.

“Yes, of course I can. I guess it takes being caught to see what a bad man my husband really is. In fact, I think he was the one who tried to poison Uther. I thought he was just trying to give him some food poisoning, but when I found out that lady died, I couldn’t even—”

“That’s enough,” said Morgana in disgust. She heard all she needed to.

“Wait. There’s something you should know,” yelled Deloofi, still half sobbing.

“What,” said Morgana with narrowed eyes.

“Agravaine said he had a surprise for Uther at,” Deloofi frantically looked at her watch, “in ten minutes.”

“What surprise?” said Leon in a stern voice.

“I don’t know! He wouldn’t tell me,” Deloofi wailed.

Morgana looked at her watch. It was ten minutes to 9. “Leon, evacuate the house. I don’t care what reason you give them, just do it.”

“Got it,” said Leon and rushed out of there.

Morgana, ignoring her better judgement, went over to help Deloofi.

“Why did you marry him? Do you really love him?” asked Morgana.

“I was lonely. He offered me companionship and security. It may be hard to believe, but he was rather sweet to me. Until I discovered his true nature,” said Deloofi with a face filled with so much indifference now.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” said Morgana, pulling Deloofi along with her.

As soon as they got outside, she saw Agravaine in handcuffs yelling what the meaning of this was. Uther was there as well, giving Agravaine a cold look.

“Enough, Agravaine. No more lies. We know what you did. We have witnesses,” said Morgana, dramatizing facts a little.

“What are you talking about! Deloofi! Talk some sense into these people!” Agravaine shouted.

“They caught me,” Deloofi whispered.

At that, Agravaine stopped moving like a crazy person and his shoulders slumped.

“Unbelievable!” yelled Morgana, before she punched him in the face.

She caught Leon giving her a fond look, but before she could address it, she was whirled around by Merlin.

“Morgana! Where’s Arthur??” said Merlin a bit frantically.

“Last I saw, he went to go sulk in his room,” said Morgana.

Before she could say anything else, Merlin started to go back inside the estate.

Then Morgana remembered that they had evacuated it for a reason, albeit unknown.

“Merlin, wait! You don’t even know wher—”

Just then, there was a small explosion, followed by a couple others all over the estate. The crowd outside gasped in horror. Merlin just fell to his knees on the lawn right in front of the house.

Uther and Morgana had twin looks of horror on their faces.

“What’s wrong? Oh gods, was someone still inside? Why is Merlin like that?” said Arthur, full of concern.

Morgana whirled around and when her own eyes confirmed that it was indeed Arthur, she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

“You! You utter arsehole! We thought you were still in there, moping about and Merlin just started running back to go after you!” said Morgana, punching Arthur in the arm.

“He did?” said Arthur in a bit of awe.

“Yes! Now go to him before he passes out!” shoved Morgana.

She saw Arthur shuffle a little awkwardly to Merlin and kneel down next to him. Arthur gently shoved Merlin in the shoulder to get his attention. When Merlin looked at Arthur, it took a moment, but then he flung himself on Arthur, hanging on tight.

It was finally over.

*

Arthur was still silently fuming a bit, but he had to push those feelings aside for now. Hunith had taken the kids to her house for the night and Uther was staying at Arthur’s flat. Gaius was to use Arthur’s guest room just in case Uther went into shock over the events of the night.

Arthur was at Merlin’s house with him. As soon as they got there, Arthur headed straight for the secret wine cellar and took out two bottles of wine. He immediately uncorked them and went to go join Merlin on the couch.

“Here,” said Arthur, handing over a bottle.

“Just like Morgana,” said Merlin, still pale as a sheet, but with a small, fond smile.

“Can we not talk about her for a bit? I’m still pissed she didn’t tell me what was going on until after everything happened,” Arthur gruffed.

“Don’t worry, she’s paying for it. Gwen is staying with Morgana tonight, regardless of her not even knowing Morgause. She just invited herself over. So if it makes you feel better, Gwen didn’t know either and now she’s probably going to guilt trip Morgs to death,” chuckled Merlin.

“But you did. You knew,” said Arthur, a little hurt.

“Yes. I tried to get her to tell you, but she wanted to wait. Not that I agreed with her, but I understand why she did it,” said Merlin.

“Yeah, I do too. That’s why I can’t be properly mad at her. Not like Uther at least. She flat out lied to him. It’s going to take about a week, but he’ll come around,” said Arthur.

“That’s good to hear. Morgana was really stressing herself out trying to protect everyone. She’s going to start seeing Gaius tomorrow to help with the nightmares,” said Merlin.

Arthur clenched his fists. He remembered what Morgana told him about being briefly kidnapped. There, however, was nothing about nightmares. Merlin must have realized that, but instead of trying to lie, he just took another sip of his wine.

“Is that why you paled when Owain mentioned he was coordinating with Uther’s security. You were just worried?” asked Arthur.

Merlin took several gulps of wine, before placing the bottle on the table, then picking it up and cradling it in his arms. “Not exactly.”

“Would you care to share with the class?” said Arthur sweeping his hand out in front of him.

Merlin gave him a long look before carefully nodding his head.

“Before Lance, I had another best mate. Will. We knew each other since we were in nappies. We did everything together. He was actually supposed to be head of construction. It was supposed to be ‘Prince, Emrys & Du Lac.’,” said Merlin with a wry smile.

Arthur thought he knew where this was going. Merlin did say he lost more than one person in his life.

“Lance was an R.A. so he had his own room, but us? We were lucky to even get housing. My mum and his dad scraped up just enough money so we could at least experience it for the first semester,” said Merlin with a smile.

“You know how in your first year, the fire alarm goes off for everything and anything? How annoying it is to be outside, in naught but your pants at 3 in the morning?” said Merlin, voice getting a bit wobbly.

“I remember it well,” said Arthur.

“Anyway, one night. The alarm went off three times. The first time it was around 7pm and the second was around 11am. The third time it went off, it was about 4am. I was raised by a fireman. I knew, no matter how annoying, to just follow directions. Better safe than sorry,” said Merlin a bit bitterly. He took another few gulps of his wine.

“Will was swearing and I was trying to get him out of bed. Told me to piss off. He needed his rest for his exam in a couple of hours. I was tired. I let him stay in bed while I dutifully went outside. Fell asleep for about ten minutes until I woke up to sirens. Turned out there was a real fire,” said Merlin, tears forming in his eyes.

“I tried to run back in for him, but they wouldn’t let me,” said Merlin with a harsh breath.

“They got him out, but it was too late. He was already gone. Smoke inhalation,” said Merlin, a tear sliding down his face, “and it was all my fault.”

Arthur stared at Merlin in horror. Then before, Merlin could see the look on his face, he put both their wine bottles on the table and embraced him. “No. It was not your fault. Merlin, don’t even think that.”

“But it’s true! I let him stay in bed. I left him there. I wish I just stayed with him. Then he would’ve had more of a chance,” said Merlin quietly.

“No, shut up. You could’ve died then. It’s not your fault. I know nothing I say will help you, but it really wasn’t your fault. It could’ve happened to anyone. I’m sorry it happened to you,” said Arthur, carding his fingers through Merlin’s hair.

“Thank you,” said Merlin, quietly, before adding in, “since I’m still alive, we can finally have our date.”

“Don’t change the subject, Merlin,” Arthur gently chided.

“I just don’t want to talk about it. Look, I reacted the way I did because it’s uncanny how much Owain talks like Will. It was my first time meeting him, so I had no warning. Only Gaius and maybe Lance know that I blame myself like this. But, it’s not all the time anymore. Gaius really did help me. I only blame myself about a third of the time now,” said Merlin with a self-deprecating smile.

“Oh as long as it’s not all the time,” gently teased Arthur.

Merlin got up from Arthur’s hold to grab both their bottles and handed Arthur his.

“So, we can go on that date now,” said Merlin with a smile before drinking some more wine.

“I don’t think so,” said Arthur, ruefully.

“Oh. Have you really changed your mind? I was only postponing because, well, besides what happened earlier in the week, it was safer for us not to have a connection because of my kids,” said Merlin with a look of confusion and hurt.

“What about Mithian?” asked Arthur.

“What about her?” said Merlin with just confusion on his face now.

“Aren’t you getting back together?” asked Arthur.

Merlin was silent for a moment, then he burst out laughing. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“But, the letter? And the phone call earlier tonight,” said Arthur, fully confused himself.

“What letter? Phone call?” asked Merlin.

“The letter on your desk from Mithian about getting back together and the future being bright? The phone call about second chances?” said Arthur.

Merlin sat there for a minute, thinking. He raised his bottle and took a swig, Arthur copying the motion a second later. Then Arthur could see realization dawn on Merlin’s face.

“You stupid, nosy prat,” said Merlin. Arthur was further confused because Merlin was still smiling.

“Just tell me, Merlin,” Arthur pleaded.

“First of all, that letter was from a week ago, before you asked me out. Second. Mithian was talking about Elyan. Gwen’s brother. They went out for a bit before Elyan found out she was my ex and they broke up because he felt guilty. It took a lot on my part to get him to forget about that so they’re giving it another go. Third. I, uh, I told her about you. That’s why the future was looking bright for the both of us,” said Merlin with a little blush.

“Oh, is that so?” said Arthur, putting his wine back down and scooting closer to Merlin.

“At least I think so. But if it’s going to be this hard convincing you to go out with me when you had to do the convincing in the fir—”

Arthur surged forward to shut Merlin up with a kiss. Then he pulled back to say three simple words, “too much talking.”

Arthur couldn’t help but smile into the kiss when Merlin eagerly pulled him back in to shut him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a couple chapters to go! Wowza. Okay, hang in there you lovely, LOVELY people. I may have an update by Friday or Saturday!
> 
> x


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-dinner party happenings.

Merlin woke up comfortably nestled in his bed. Blinking his eyes open, he realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He also realized that a shirtless Arthur Pendragon was sleeping on his chest.

“Merlin Sherriford Emrys. Don’t tell me you’ve become  _that_ guy,” Merlin groaned to himself while slowly lifting the covers to take a peek.

Before he could get a look however, Arthur snuggled in closer and let out a small snort. “Sherriford, eh?”

“Ermm, no. This is all a dream. Arthur Pendragon, you will fall back asleep on the count of three. One, two—”

“Not a chance, _Sherriford_ ,” said Arthur, slowly sitting up with a smile. “Oh, and don’t worry, we only got as far as passionate snogging before you knocked out on me.”

“Right,” said Merlin with a blush, “I don’t know if I should be more embarrassed or proud that nothing else happened.”

“Well, I see what the girls meant by saying you’re an excellent one to drunk cuddle with,” said Arthur with a fond smile, “but now they are not allowed to do that.”

“Uhh, what?” asked a slightly confused Merlin.

“They are no longer allowed to cuddle with you. Unless it’s an emergency. Then I’ll let it pass,” Arthur almost decreed.

“Possessive much?” Merlin said with an amused look on his face.

“Yeah, I can’t have my sister and my mate monopolizing you like that when I’m the one that’s actually dating you,” said Arthur.

“So you really want to give this a chance?” asked Merlin.

“Of course. I thought last night would be proof enough,” Arthur said with a smirk.

“Yes, but how do I know that you’re not going to freak out or jump to conclusions the next time you see something as vague as a letter or hear a partial, one-sided phone call?” said Merlin with teasing look to try and cover his nerves.

Arthur slightly blushed at that. “I admit, that was an idiotic thing for me to do. I promise that I will be straightforward in those kinds of matters so we can clear the air faster. As long as you promise to do the same. Being on that side of things, it’s not nice thinking about scenarios that are so far from the truth.”

“Oh believe me, I know,” said Merlin with a rueful grin. “Well, it’s time to greet the day. I suspect you and Morgana will be really busy for a while, trying to calm the madness of everything that happened yesterday.”

Arthur groaned, “Right. Everything is a bit fucked up right now, isn’t it.”

“It is, but I’ll here to help you guys. And so will Gwen. And now Leon. And Morgause. There isn’t a shortage of people who are willing to help, directly or not,” said Merlin.

Arthur gave him an openly fond look that made Merlin blush.

“Thank you,” said Arthur, planting a chaste kiss to Merlin’s lips before practically purring ‘Sherriford’ in a sultry voice in his ear.

“Stupid clotpole,” groaned Merlin in fond exasperation, shoving Arthur on the chest.

*

Sunday afternoon found most everyone down at the Met. Arthur and Uther were speaking with DC Anhora, while Morgana and Gwen were talking things over with Morgause and Leon in the conference room.

“Well, that was a bit anticlimactic, don’t you think?” interrupted a voice.

“Gwaine, you better not have your recorder on,” warned Morgana, tired from staying up the whole night.

“You wound me, Gans,” said Gwaine with mock-hurt, “of course it’s not on even though I’m writing the last article about this.”

“An explosion wasn’t enough for you,” said Morgause with an unamused look.

“Ignore the drunkard,” said Arthur, walking over to them.

“Uther and Anhora still at it then?” asked Morgana. When it was found out that Valiant was a dirty cop, Uther exploded with pent up rage and criticism.

“Yes,” said Arthur with a grimace.

“So, you went home with Merlin,” said Gwaine with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“You lost sight of your mark,” countered Arthur, swiftly changing the topic of conversation.

“Well, I did save the priceless vase of ole’ Pendragon senior there,” said Gwaine.

“Only because Elena bumped into it. You were too busy flirting and ‘reconnecting’ to realize that Deloofi snuck off,” teased Morgana.

“Well, to be fair, if she didn’t escape, you wouldn’t have caught her and we wouldn’t have known about the explosion,” countered Gwaine.

“Point,” said Leon. He didn’t voice that he was glad that the opportunity for Morgana to flirt—fake or not—with Agravaine had been taken away from her.

“So you and Merlin then, eh? Finally,” said Leon.

Arthur shot him a look of betrayal for returning the conversation back to him. Leon just chuckled.

“What about you and Morgana,” Arthur shot back.

“Oh. Right. Well—”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” started Morgana, “but, we’re really dating now.”

“Really!?” someone squealed from the doorway.

Leon let out a groan as Ellie joined them. “You, Leon, can shut your bastard mouth. No, actually, I want the story from you. You owe me that much.”

Ellie had been in a mood all morning, finding out the truth of everything. Leon figured this could help him out.

“Fine,” Leon sighed. “Last night, after everyone went home, I pulled Morgana aside to talk to her. Since the case was finally over, I wanted to ask her out properly. Apparently, she had the same idea. Before she could beat me to the punch, I…”

“Yes!?” said Ellie, nodding her head eagerly for him to continue.

“I—”

“For fecks sake, _he_ ,” Morgana, said, throwing Leon a fond glare—how that’s possible, Leon couldn’t quite explain—“gave me quite the spectacular snog.”

“OH MY GODS!!” squealed Ellie, launching herself at Leon. “I’m still mad at you, but I’m also very happy for you.”

“Cheers,” said Leon, awkwardly patting her back.

“So what about you, princess?” said Gwaine.

Arthur grumbled, being unsuccessful at diverting the attention from himself.

“We’re dating now as well,” he said with his chin lifted.

“I’m glad,” said Morgana, giving Arthur a fond look. “You break his heart, and you’ll be answering to me.”

“What am I? Chopped Liver? I’m just your only brother,” Arthur grouched.

“Please, Merlin is incapable of breaking hearts. He’d rather have his own broken before anyone else’s,” said Morgana.

“I can vouch for that,” said Gwen, nodding her head.

Leon just chuckled.

“Oi! This is just unbelievable. This is probably the last round table meeting and you lot didn’t tell me about it? Even Ellie’s here for fuck’s sake!” said a voice at the door.

“Round table meeting?” asked a confused Arthur.

“My brilliant idea,” beamed Gwaine.

“Everyone here knows Owain, yes?” said Leon with the roll of his eyes. “It’s not my fault you were dragged into that meeting with Uther’s hired security. You were in charge of that afterall.”

“Ungrateful sods. All of you,” complained Owain, seating himself next to Leon.

After another 10-15 minutes of talking and then another half hour to fully debrief about the night, the door swung open revealing a tight lipped Uther.

“I’m going back to the estate. I’ve said all that I’ve needed to say,” said Uther.

“Do you want me to drive you back?” asked Arthur.

“No, George is already here. You finish up here. Oh, and I’ve decided that we’re to have dinner with this Merlin Emrys fellow this Friday. Obviously at his place because mine is being renovated. Let him know would you?” said Uther.

Before Uther walked off, he stopped and turned his head slightly. “You’re to be there as well, Morgana.”

Everyone was in the room was silent. As soon as Uther’s footsteps faded into the distance, Owain spoke up.

“Your dad is one scary fucker,” Owain said unapologetically.

That broke the tension as Morgana started to laugh. “No one will ever deny that statement.”

“Except maybe Lizzy,” said Arthur.

“True. I take that back,” said Morgana, throwing Arthur a fond look of appraisal.

“So he’s forgiven you then?” asked Arthur.

“No, but I suspect that’s the start,” replied Morgana.

“Well, I suspect that’s the first and last I’ll see of him,” said Owain.

“You’re wrong. He’s going to want to have a dinner with the 'Round Table' to criticize and backhandedly praise you lot for what you’ve done,” said Arthur.

“Even me?” said Gwaine.

“Yes, though he won’t like it,” chuckled Morgana.

“I mean you did get caught stealing from him,” said Gwen.

“It was just shampoo… and I was 16!” complained Gwaine.

“Doesn’t matter. No one steals from Uther Pendragon and gets away unscathed,” said Arthur.

“Shampoo?” asked Ellie.

“What, I liked the way it smelled,” Gwaine shrugged.

“Thank the gods you’ve moved on from it,” shuddered Arthur, “hanging out with you was bad enough. Having you smell like my father while doing so was fucking uncomfortable. I felt like I had to be on my guard at all times.”

“You’re mental, the lot of you,” teased Owain, “I like it!”

“That really doesn’t matter if we don’t like you back,” Morgause deadpanned.

Leon snorted at that causing Morgause’s lip to twitch.

“She-did she just-Morgause made a joke!” Owain exclaimed. “This is history in the making, folks!”

“All that aside, what are you going to tell Merlin, Arthur?” asked Morgana.

Everyone laughed at Arthur’s renewed groan.

*

“He’s what!?” yelped Merlin. “And you’re telling me this now!?”

“Relax. You still have time?” Arthur said with a sheepish smile, leaning in to kiss Merlin.

“You bloody prat!” said Merlin, stopping Arthur’s movement with a hand to Arthur’s face.

“Why didn’t you tell me this when we went out on Monday? Or even when you came over for a meeting at the office on Wednesday?” said an irritated Merlin, getting out of Arthur’s car.

“Monday was our first official date. I didn’t want anything to spoil the mood. And Wednesday, I was in business mode so I forgot,” said Arthur, getting out as well and walking over to Merlin.

“Oh, so you just conveniently forgot to tell me that your father just happened to invite himself and his entire household over to dinner tomorrow night,” retorted Merlin, opening the front door.

“Relax—”

“Don’t you tell me to bloody relax, you clotpole!” said Merlin before shutting the door in Arthur’s face.

“Great,” Arthur muttered, leaning his forehead against the front door.

“You deserved that and you know it,” said Merlin’s voice through the monitor’s intercom.

“If it’s any consolation, my father doesn’t know we’re dating yet, so you don’t have to try and impress him. This is just a dinner to thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” said Arthur.

“That’s no consolation! And shouldn't he be taking me out then? Whatever, just go home, you arse! I’ve got a dinner to plan,” shouted Merlin.

“Goodnight, Merlin,” said Arthur, smiling to himself.

“Stop smiling!” huffed Merlin through the intercom, “Goodnight.”

Arthur gave a small wave and turned around before Merlin chastised him for smiling again. He couldn’t help it. Things were finally looking up. With the case officially over and his life being able to carry on, he felt like he was finally moving forward in the right direction.

His first date with Merlin was hardly perfect, but it was more than he was hoping for. The start was a little awkward before Merlin broke the tension by tripping into his seat. Arthur had guffawed at that, earning a shove from Merlin that caused him to trip into his seat as well.

They spent the night trading anecdotes about uni life and the horrors of dating. The many blind dates that Arthur had to endure set up by his father, and the couple disasters that Merlin endured after Mithian.

“So he tried to give the fish CPR rather than throw it back in the water?” said Arthur, disgusted.

“I admit, he wasn’t the brightest, but he was cute?” Merlin almost questioned with a chuckle.

“Yes, but he’s ruined koi fish for you forever,” laughed Arthur.

“Yes, but it wasn’t as bad as the time when I went out with a temp who tried to get a picture of my kids tattooed on her back,” Merlin said with a wince.

“You attract complete nutters, myself excluded of course,” said Arthur, a bit incredulously.

“I don’t have an answer to that statement,” Merlin said, smiling so his eyes crinkled with mirth. Arthur was getting addicted to that smile, he was.

Suffice it to say, Arthur didn’t get into Merlin’s pants that night, but it surprised Arthur to feel more than okay with it. Yes, he was constantly torn between cuddling the shit out of Merlin and wanting to rip all of his clothes off, but he found that he could wait forever for Merlin—though he sincerely hoped it wouldn’t take that long.

Even though Arthur wasn’t able to snag a goodnight kiss, he went home happy, thinking that telling Merlin went better than he expected.

*

“Thanks for helping me out on such short notice,” said Merlin, sorting out the pots and pans he would need.

“Please. I cannot believe Arthur sprang this on you last night,” said Morgana, pulling out groceries from the fridge.

“Are you sure Italian food is alright? It’s the best I can do with less than a day’s notice,” said Merlin, running his hand through his hair.

“It will be fine. Your food is brilliant. You know I’m just here for moral support anyway,” said Morgana, picking out what she needed to make a salad.

“How’s everything going? Uther still mad at you? No, scratch that, I want to know how the sessions with Gaius have been going,” said Merlin, sorting out the ingredients for a lasagna.

“Good. I mean it was tough the first couple days, because I was basically forced to remember everything that happened, but you’re right. Gaius is really good at what he does,” said Morgana.

“You’ve been seeing him every day then?” asked Merlin.

“Yes. I have to or else I’d make excuses not to,” said Morgana, “though with his help, I’ve been able to not take Morgause’s tonics every night.”

“No more screaming?” asked Merlin, looking at Morgana carefully.

“No. I mean there are times when I flinch awake or wake up really sweaty, but no more screaming,” said Morgana with a smile.

“Did we ever figure out how Valiant was murdered?” asked Merlin.

“Oh yeah, get this. He was poisoned. My best bet is that he was at the pub earlier, having a drink, and someone slipped his drink,” said Morgana.

“Never lose sight of your drink. Applies to everyone, that,” said Merlin.

“Too right. Anyway, I’m thinking that there was a fight for information or something because there was something that looked like blood on his face and shirt. Then that’s when he was poisoned with snake venom, to finish him off. Real fecking ironic that,” said Morgana.

“I’m failing to see how that’s ironic,” said Merlin, filling a pot full of water.

“Oh right. The Yard’s M.E. pointed out that his surname, Nagendra, means ‘lord of snakes,’” Morgana snorted.

“Still, what a way to go,” shuddered Merlin.

“Yeah. Anyway, is Gaius coming over for the dinner?” asked Morgana.

“No, he’s just going to drop off the kids from school, then I think he has a date,” Merlin said with a smile.

“Gaius?” Morgana said, amused.

“Yeah, Aunt Alice. I think they have some kind of history, but he never really went for it. Now that all this shit’s happened, I think he realized he’s not getting any younger,” said Merlin, starting to work on the sauce.

“Go Gaius,” Morgana smirked.

“So,” said Merlin, a little coy, “what about you and Leon? No more surprise snogs?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” teased Morgana.

“Uh yeah, I’m not your brother, I won’t run away screaming when you try and talk about this,” said Merlin with a laugh.

“True. I don’t know when I just started seeing the two of you as one person. It just happened, I suppose,” said Morgana with a thoughtful look to her face.

“Morgs! You should invite him over! Leon, I mean. I know this isn’t some kind of 'meet the parent' dinner, but he should be here too, no?” said Merlin.

“You know what? You’re right. Without him, I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened,” said Morgana, taking out her phone.

“Go ahead and invite him, I’ll just be in here,” said Merlin, encompassing the whole kitchen.

Merlin was completely engrossed in kneading dough for some ravioli, that he didn’t hear Morgana calling for him until she was right next to him.

“Gods! Scare a man,” said Merlin.

“I’ve been calling you,” said Morgana, ruffling his hair. “As fun as it is to watch you in the zone, I don’t like to be ignored.”

“Yes, alright, what is it,” said Merlin with a smile.

“Leon said he’d be able to join us for dessert. He said tonight is the last night he’s working on finishing up this gods-forsaken case. He’ll come earlier if he’s able,” said Morgana.

“Alright. I can understand the need to put this all behind him,” said Merlin, “now help me make some ravioli.”

“Just tell me what to do, Merls,” said Morgana, tying her hair into a bun.

*

“Does the boy drink?” asked Uther, handing Arthur an expensive bottle of wine.

“He’s hardly a boy, father. He does have three kids of his own. And yes. He’ll appreciate this,” said Arthur, placing the expensive bottle securely in the backseat of his car.

“I remember,” said Uther, handing a hefty gift bag to Arthur before getting into the car.

“At this rate, the kids are going to love you,” said Arthur, peeking into the bag to see it chock full of sweets.

“Well, I can’t arrive empty handed to these possible future grandchildren of mine,” said Uther.

Arthur was glad he wasn’t driving, because he knew he would have swerved at that. “Father, what??”

“Gaius showed me a picture on his phone the first day we breakfasted together. I suppose I already knew something was going to happen between the two of you,” said Uther, looking out the window.

“And you’re alright with this?” asked Arthur.

“You know I am not against your choice in partner, Arthur. Did I hope you would end up with a woman? Yes. At least at this rate, I don’t have to worry about grandchildren,” said Uther.

“What about Mordred?” asked an incredulous Arthur.

“He’s Morgana’s. I don’t have to pester her about grandchildren. She’s already done. Made your life easier by having a true Pendragon heir. Would you ever consider surrogacy?” asked Uther with an air of nonchalance.

“That’s enough father,” said Arthur with a splutter, “I think you always knew that I didn’t want to have children. If I were to have any, Merlin’s are the best there are.”

“I see,” said Uther giving Arthur an appraising look.

“Gods, please, don’t bring this up with Merlin. We’ve only just started dating,” said Arthur.

“I don’t think there’s much you could do to scare him off,” said Uther, “at least according to Gaius.”

Arthur couldn’t deny that made him feel warm inside. Realizing he had already arrived at Merlin’s house, he parked the car and got out to get the gifts.

“I assume this house is of his own design?” said Uther, taking the house in from the pavement.

“Yeah. It’s kind of magical, isn’t it?” said Arthur.

“Yes,” responded Uther with a small smile.

As soon as he locked the car, a jogger ran past and bumped into Uther, running off with a hand raised in a rude gesture.

“Though I’m not sure about this neighborhood,” scowled Uther, brushing off his shoulder.

“Well, I was inside the house for the whole week, so I don’t have an answer for you,” said Arthur, guiding Uther to the front door and ringing the bell.

As soon as the door opened, the delicious smells of Italian food flooded his nose. Glancing at his father, Arthur could tell he was also pleased.

“Merlin’s just putting the finishing touches on the food,” said Morgana, “let me take your coats.”

“Thank you,” said Uther handing over his coat, then taking the wine and the bag from Arthur.

“How long have you been here?” asked Arthur.

“Since about noon. I can’t believe you only just told him last night,” Morgana whispered.

“It slipped my mind,” lied Arthur.

“You’re a terrible liar, baby brother. Now hurry up. I want to see the kids’ reactions when they open that bag,” said Morgana.

Arthur was barely in the living room before he heard squealing.

“Wow. Daddy will never let us eat this all at once, but thank you so much Grampa Uther!!” said Lizzy, throwing her little arms around the seated Uther.

Uther started to awkwardly pat Lizzy on the back before his hand was pulled and shaken by an extremely excited Kay.

“Thank you, sir! Not a single piece will go to waste!” said Kay, with a manic gleam in his eyes.

“And I’ll do my best to control them. Thank you for the gifts, sir, we’ll be sure to share with Mordred as well,” said Percy.

“Yes. Good,” said Uther, clearing his throat. Lizzy let him go to get a better look at the bag.

“Oh, wow,” said Merlin,” reaching down and plucking the bag from his children. "You really shouldn’t have, but thank you.”

“Daaaaad,” started Kay.

“Not now. After dinner,” said Merlin, taking the bag and storing it in the highest shelf in the cabinet.

“This bottle is for you,” said Uther.

“Wow, that’s a fantastic year. It will go well with the Italian that I’ve prepared,” beamed Merlin.

“You made everything we’re about to consume?” asked Uther.

“Don’t worry, gramps, daddy is an AMAZING cook!” said Lizzy.

“Thank you Lizzy. Yes. With Morgana’s help. I hope you don’t mind. I would have catered something, but I found myself losing track of time,” said Merlin, staring at Arthur.

“Oh, please, Merlin means to say that Arthur didn’t tell him about the dinner until last night,” said Morgana.

Uther raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Arthur before saying, “Then this is all the more impressive.”

“Thank you sir,” said Merlin, “the food will be ready in about 5 minutes. Arthur, why don’t you open up the bottle.”

“Sure,” said Arthur following Merlin into the kitchen.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re amazing?” said Arthur, hugging Merlin from the back.

“No. Do go on,” said Merlin, turning the heat off the stove and the oven.

“Well, you are. I really am sorry I sprung this on you last minute,” said Arthur. Arthur felt his heart clench a little when Merlin removed his hands, but was relieved to find Merlin turning around to return his hug properly.

“Yeah, well, I’d say don’t do it again, but for some reason, I see more hastily planned dinners in the future. You’ll just have to make it up to me,” said Merlin, letting go to put on oven mitts to take out the lasagna.

“Oh, I will,” said Arthur, a bit suggestively, reaching for the wine bottle to uncork it.

“Right,” said Merlin with a faint blush. “Most of the food is on the table. After I place this dish, you can tell everyone else to get seated. I have to adjust my smoke detector.”

“Did something happen earlier?” asked Arthur.

“No, but it’s been doing something a little weird for the past couple of minutes. I’ve never seen it do that before,” said Merlin.

“Alright, I’m sure it’s nothing. Come on, let’s eat!” said Arthur.

*

“Hey, Leon, before you go back upstairs, here’s the finished write up on Valiant,” said Forridel, handing Leon a couple printouts.

“Great, Forr. Just what I needed. Everything is basically the same as we discussed, yeah?” said Leon, reading through the papers.

“Yep. Oh, Except one thing,” said Forridel, already distracted by looking at something under the microscope.

“Yeah? What would that b—,” Leon stopped speaking as he read the last thing on the report. The one thing that was different than before.

Leon paused to think why it bothered him until it dawned on him.

“Shit!” yelled Leon as he raced to get to his car. He only hoped that he could possibly be wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's an early update! Holy crap, only one more chapter to go! I have a question for you lot. Is it better to put in the epilogue at the end of chapter 30, or is it better to just create an entirely new chapter for it? Let me know! 
> 
> Until next week!
> 
> x


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not with a fizzle, but with a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fecking shite. So it is done. I've finished my first ever Merlin fan fic. And let me tell you, when I originally thought of/planned to write this fic, I was legitly thinking of some light-hearted, SHORT, fun, little piece. This has transformed into a mahoosive novel-length story filled with drama, crack, angst, and all that good stuff. I've been writing this since April so it's been quite a ride for me. Thank you for all your kudos and comments. Seriously, that stuff made my day! I don't know what you see in this fic, but cheers! 
> 
> Special thanks to the Queen. She fixed all my grammar/syntax mistakes and made it easier for all of you to read this. All other mistakes are my own.

Merlin was proud of himself for pulling off such a lovely—if he said so himself—dinner last minute. 

The adults were still at the dinner table, conversing over pudding and coffee, while the kids were at the living room table, sorting out the sweets evenly amongst themselves.

Just then, Lizzy skipped on over to Uther with a jar of Maltesers.

“Would you like a-oh? Are you okay, Grampa Uther?” asked Lizzy.

“I’m perfectly fine, though I’ll pass on the chocolate,” said Uther with a smile.

Merlin looked over at Arthur to see amused surprise, writ all over his face. Merlin chuckled, figuring that Uther wasn’t a man who smiled often.

“Oh. Are you sure? It’s just, I think you’re bleeding,” said Lizzy, pointing at Uther with a confused look on her face.

“Lizzy, what did I say about pointing?” Merlin lightly admonished.

“But daddy, I’m not doing it to be rude, I’m just trying to show gramps over here where it is,” said Lizzy with a slight pout.

Uther looked down to where Lizzy was pointing, but didn’t seem to see anything.

Lizzy was about to climb the empty chair next to Uther to show him herself, when Arthur interrupted her.

“Lizzy, why don’t you tell me where it is and I’ll check to make sure,” said Arthur.

Merlin threw him a grateful look.

“Okay. It’s just right there. Near his right shoulder. It’s just his clothes is kind of hiding it. It kind of blends, but obviously clothes don’t just melt their colors into each other,” said Lizzy, going off on a tangent about colors now.

“You mean his waistcoat?” asked Arthur, moving to check the area anyway.

When Arthur lifted the waistcoat a little, he let out a small gasp, realizing there was blood there.

“What the—” Arthur began, but was interrupted by Uther.

“Oh, it must have been that rude jogger from earlier,” said Uther with a scowl.

“Kids,” began Merlin, “can you please go and hang out in my room?” 

Lizzy and Kay looked puzzled for a minute, but just shrugged. Mordred put all the sweets back into the bag to Kay’s indignant cry of, “aww, now we have to sort it all over again.”

“Perce, come here for a second,” said Merlin.

“Yeah dad?” asked Perce, coming over while Mordred stood in the doorway of Merlin’s room.

“I don’t want you to panic, but when you go to my room, I want you to lock the door. If you hear the signal, you press that button, with or without me there,” said Merlin, trying not to let his anxiety creep through.

“Merlin, what’s going on?” asked Morgana from the table.

“You got it, Perce?” asked Merlin.

“Of course, dad. I know the drill,” said Percy with a solemn nod.

“Good. Now go on,” said Merlin, giving his eldest a little push.

Percy dutifully went to the room and nodded his head before closing the door and locking it.

“Okay, Merlin, please tell me what the fuck is going on,” said a concerned Morgana.

“Right. Well, we’ve been living in this neighborhood for sometime now. I make it my business to know what goes on for the safety of my children. That being said, there are no joggers in this neighborhood. And I think I know why my smoke detector was acting weird earlier,” said Merlin, looking over to Arthur.

“Why is that?” Uther cut in.

“Well sir, my smoke detector not only detects smoke, but it detects poisons or toxic fumes,” said Merlin.

“Oh my gods!” gasped Morgana, before hurrying over to Uther.

“Sir, I think you’ve been injected with something. That’s the only explanation I can think of for not recognizing the warning. Whatever it is, it’s already in your system,” said Merlin, trying to keep it together.

Just then the doorbell rang, and everyone went silent.

“It could be Leon,” started Morgana, looking at her watch, “he said he would be by later.”

Merlin nodded his head, “Right, let me just check the monitor.”

To his immense relief, he saw Leon’s face on the screen. “You’re right, it’s Leon. He can call for backup.”

“I’ve already called for an ambulance,” said Arthur, looking pale, but decidedly calm.

“Leon, thank fuck you’re here,” said Merlin opening the door, “something’s happened to Uther and you need to call for backup.”

“Not so fast,” said a voice he didn’t recognize.

Merlin was confused until a woman materialized behind Leon. She had disconcerting blue eyes and startling red lips. Merlin started to back up into the hallway when he realized that she had a gun to Leon’s back.

“Who are you and what do you want?” said Merlin, angry that this woman had dared bring a gun into his house.

“So this is what Balinor’s son looks like,” said the lady.

“How do you know my father? You couldn't have been more than a little girl when he passed,” said Merlin, confused.

“Deloofi fucking Muhn,” snarled Morgana, “I should’ve fucking known.”

“Ms. Le Fay,” Deloofi grinned.

Then she threw Leon on the floor and shot him in the arm.

Merlin yelled ‘AZKABAN’ towards his room at the same time as making his way towards Leon.

“Are you fucking mental?!” shrieked Morgana, rushing to aid Leon.

“Sorry, I just needed to make sure nobody would be calling for backup,” said Deloofi with a shrug.

“I don’t understand why you’re doing all of this,” said Merlin, pulling off his oversized neckerchief to tie around Leon’s arm.

“Why, to watch Uther suffer of course. Take everything he has away from him, as he once did to me,” said Deloofi.

“What could my father possibly have done to you to warrant such actions,” Arthur said, voice like steel, rising from the table to slowly inch his way towards Merlin and Morgana.

“I told you. He took everything from me,” said Deloofi, looking straight into Uther’s eyes.

Uther’s eyes widened in recognition. “No. That’s impossible. She died before she could have any children.”

“Father? Who are you talking about?” asked Arthur.

“Nimueh,” Uther whispered.

Merlin let out a small gasp. At the end of their first date, Arthur had come back to Merlin’s for a small nightcap. Although instead of it leading to the bedroom, it led to Arthur sharing a piece of himself that he never told anyone before.

He told Merlin the story of his mother, and how she died during childbirth. Arthur had revealed that he was some sort of miracle baby. His mother hadn’t been able to conceive, but through the help of one of his mother’s best friends, Nimueh, a promising Fertility specialist, she was finally able to become pregnant with Arthur.

However, when Arthur turned 16, he was miserable and missing his mother. He snuck into Uther’s study and picked the lock to his safe. There, instead of reaching for the picture he knew his father kept of his mother, he saw a partially opened file.

His curiosity got the better of him, so he pulled it out to read. He was horrified at what he found. Nimueh had lied about her methods being approved and went through with the treatments after showing Uther some forged documents. Everything was going smoothly until it came time for the birth. Apparently, Igraine was the first person to go through with these treatments and complications ensued that ultimately led to her death.

When Uther found out the whole truth, he had ripped Nimueh to shreds. He then had her committed to a mental facility because no sane woman could do that to her best friend. He completely discredited everything she ever did, but did it all quietly. No one ever knew what happened to her, and after a while, no one even remembered her. Nimueh had died a couple years later.

Uther and Morgana had found Arthur in the study, retching into the waste basket and quietly sobbing. Uther said he was waiting until Arthur was 18 to tell him the truth, but was kind of hoping Arthur would find out on his own. There was a reason why Uther made his safe so easy to break into for Arthur. The three of them were the only ones left to know the truth of the matter and the three agreed to keep it that way.

“Deloofi, you won’t get away with this, we’ve already called an ambulance for Uther,” snarled Morgana, snapping Merlin’s attention back to the now.

“Oh, but I already have. I’ll be long gone by then. I’ve been planning this for a very long time,” smirked Deloofi.

“What do you want? Money? Power?” spat Uther.

“You’ve not been listening Uther. I’m going to take everything you have from you. I’ve injected you with a slow acting poison. You’ll be dead by tomorrow, long enough to see me kill Arthur and then take down your company. I pretty much already got your house,” said Deloofi with a manic gleam in her eyes.

Merlin started to get a little hysterical as he saw her stepping forward at the same time as pointing her gun toward Arthur. “I’m going to shoot you now, Arthur. I’ll even do you a kindness and shoot you where you’ll have just enough time to say your goodbyes.”

“Your mother was dead long before you could even know her. Why go through all of this?” pleaded Morgana.

“Oh, well you see, I never said I was her daughter. No. I _am_ Nimueh,” said Deloofi.

“That’s impossible,” retorted Uther.

“It’s a little something called surgery. I faked my own death and reinvented myself. Like I said, I’ve been working on this plan for a very long time—”

“Why the fuck did you change your name to something as ridiculous as Deloofi?” taunted Morgana, trying to get her attention away from Arthur.

“If you unscramble the letters of Deloofi Munh, you get ‘Nimueh of Old,’” said Nimueh with a pleased smile, “completely fitting.”

“Fucking mental,” grimaced Leon.

Just then, Merlin let out hysterical laughter.

“What is it now? I never really liked Balinor. I was glad he moved away to the country,” said Nimueh.

“It’s just-it’s just,” Merlin continued to laugh, “you’re the most unimaginative villain of all time!”

“What are you talking about,” Nimueh scowled.

“I assume all this fucked up shit was part of your plan, yes? Okay, I’ll give you credit for the flowers because, yes, that was pretty clever. But winning the lottery? You copied that from _Doctor Who_. De-aging yourself? That’s got to be _Sky High_. Faking your death is like countless other movies, but the winner has got to be your name. Definitely _Harry Potter_ ,” said Merlin starting to ramble while laughing.

“Gods, it was your lipstick on Valiant’s dead body wasn’t it,” said a disgusted Morgana, realization dawning on her face.

“I had to snog the guy and accidentally bite his lip for the poison to get into his system. You’re lucky I saved you from that nasty man, sweet child,” Nimueh bragged.

“That’s like some rip off of Poison Ivy,” said Merlin, still laughing, “gods, how can you even take yourself seriously?”

“That’s enough wasting time!” yelled Nimueh.

“Hang on, what about Agravaine then?” asked Arthur.

“He’s just my idiot accomplice of sorts. I had him hire the Witchfinder for me. Now he’s sitting in jail, thinking I’ll come for him once I’m through with this. As if,” cackled Nimueh. 

“Nimueh. Think about Igraine. Arthur is the only thing left of her,” Uther pleaded.

“Oh, Uther, that’s why this is so great. You lose the last of your bloodline and I get to gift him back to Igraine. Then I know she’ll truly forgive me,” said Nimueh, talking to Uther like a child.

Merlin spotted Kay’s toy car and swiftly grabbed it from under the table.

“I’m doing the world a favor by getting rid of all the Pendragons. Say goodbye Arthur, and tell Igraine I say hello,” said Nimueh, raising her gun.

Merlin couldn’t tell you what was going through his mind, he just acted. He got up from his knees and chucked the toy car at Nimueh before tackling Arthur to the floor.

The gun still went off, so he frantically searched Arthur’s body, coming away relieved when there was no bullet wound. When he turned to stand and face Nimueh, he felt himself falling straight back to the floor.

“You idiot!” Arthur muttered in alarm, taking his tie off.

Merlin glanced down to see his thigh bleeding profusely. “Oh, so that’s where it went.”

“Was that fucking necessary?” growled Nimueh, rubbing her forehead where the car hit dead center. 

“It was worth a shot,” said Merlin with a grimace, “okay, pun _totally_ not intended.

“Stupid idiot. Have no sense of self-preservation. Cannot believe this just happened,” Arthur muttered to himself as he applied pressure to Merlin’s thigh with his handkerchief after tying his tie around the wound.

“No. Enough. ENOUGH! I will finish this!” yelled Nimueh starting to raise her gun again.

All this commotion was enough time for Leon to up and tackle Nimueh, making her lose purchase of her gun. She quickly wriggled out of his grip, using his injured arm to her advantage, but Morgana snatched it and brought it square to Nimueh’s chest.

“Oh, what are _you_ going to do Ms. Le Fay. I told you not to get involved. You don’t owe that man anything. I can take you in. We can be brilliant together. Who do you think you are that you think you can stop me?!” yelled Nimueh.

“The name’s Morgana fucking Pendragon, bitch!” said Morgana with steel in her voice before she backhanded Nimueh with the gun, knocking her out cold.

*

“The kids!” Morgana gasped and made her way towards Merlin’s room, pounding on the door

“No one is answering. Merlin! Oh my gods,” Morgana started panicking.

“Morgana. MORGANA!” Arthur yelled, “calm the fuck down. I can’t hear what he’s trying to say.

“Fuck! I almost forgot,” said Morgana, rushing over to Merlin. “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I almost forgot you were shot. I have so much adrenaline running through me, I can’t stop!”

“It’s okay, Morgana. Look, the key to my room is behind the last bottle in the right side corner of my emergency wine cellar," said Merlin, waving his hand in its general direction, "under a tiny false bottom."

Morgana raced over to the wine cellar to get the key, then came back with a bunch of towels.

“Arthur, help me wipe all this excess blood off the floor. I don’t want to traumatize the kids for life,” said Morgana, already going over to clean Leon’s area as best as she could.

Then she raced on over to Merlin’s room and opened the door.

“Merlin!” Morgana screamed.

“What!?” replied an alarmed Merlin, trying to get up.

“Stop, Merlin. You have to stay down,” pleaded Arthur.

“Merlin, the children are gone!!” Morgana choked back a sob.

“Oh,” said Merlin, sagging back down in relief.

“Oh?” said an incredulous Uther.

“The kids are safe in the panic room I have hidden in my bedroom,” said Merlin with a weak smile.

“Is that what the whole ‘azkaban’ thing was about?” asked Leon.

“Yes. We have safety drills once a month, and that’s one of them,” said Merlin.

“Impressive,” said Uther, “but why is the code Azkaban?”

“It’s the name of a wizard’s prison that is virtually impossible to break into or out,” answered Arthur.

When he realized all eyes were on him, he stammered a little saying, “what? I did my research. For the kids.”

Merlin’s beaming smile was worth it.

“Have you called for backup?” Uther asked Leon.

“I was just about to,” said Leon.

“Lucan should already be on his way. When anyone enters the panic room and the door is closed, it automatically triggers a call to the Yard, in this case, Lucan,” said Merlin, holding back a yawn.

Arthur saw his father give Merlin a look that could only mean that ‘yes, he’s a damn good father and I accept’ which made Arthur feel extremely good.

“I can hear the sirens for the ambulance,” said Leon, gingerly getting up from the floor.

“Thank the gods. Took them fucking long enough,” said Morgana, petting Merlin’s hair back and then using Arthur’s shoulder to get up.

“I’m going to call Forr, make sure she can help with the slow acting poison bit. Why don’t you give a call to Morgause,” said Leon.

“Yeah, I will, sure,” said Morgana. She sat down on the sofa to make the call.

As soon as she was finished, Lucan burst through the door.

“Fucking hell, what happened?” said Lucan, making his way towards Merlin.

“Long story. Kids are in the panic room. Let them out, yeah? I would, but you know,” said Merlin, motioning to his thigh, “oh and call Gaius for me.”

Lucan grunted his assent and went to Merlin’s room.

“Morgana, go with him. I don’t want the kids to freak out too much,” said Merlin, starting to close his eyes.

“Hey, hey!” said Arthur, gently patting his face, “stay with me.”

“Not a head wound. Don’t worry about it,” said Merlin, though trying to keep conscious.

“I don’t care. I’m not taking any chances,” said Arthur, maneuvering himself so that Merlin’s back was to his chest. 

“I’ll be fine. Reassure my kids of that, yeah? I’ll talk to you in a bit,” said Merlin, before slumping in Arthur’s embrace.

“You better be right, Merlin, or I’ll bloody kill you myself!” muttered Arthur, brushing Merlin’s hair back and placing his chin gently on top of Merlin’s head.

*

Arthur felt the soothing gesture of a hand carding through his hair and sighed into the bed. It took a couple of seconds for him to realize that he wasn’t at home. He remembered he was sitting vigil by Merlin’s bed in the hospital and shot back into his seat.

“Morning,” said Merlin, voice hoarse from disuse, “how long have I been asleep?”

“Two days,” Arthur replied.

“Tw-two days!?” said Merlin, eyes wide.

“Yes, you stupid clotpole,” said Arthur in both relief and annoyance.

“Hey! That’s my word,” said Merlin with a small smile.

“Yes, and it suits you perfectly,” said Arthur with a small smile in return.

“Where are—”

“Hunith, Freya, and Morgana have all but moved into your house,” said Arthur.

“Oh, that’s good,” said Merlin, relaxing back into his pillow.

“Merlin,” said Arthur, tone serious.

“Yes?” replied Merlin.

“Don’t ever do that again,” said Arthur in a small voice.

“I can’t promise that. Besides, I’m fine. Overshot how long my nap would be, but I’m good,” said Merlin.

“No, Merlin. You don’t understand. You were incredibly and I mean _incredibly_ lucky. If the bullet were to hit a little more to the right or the left, it could have been fatal,” said Arthur.

“I’m sure it would have been fine,” said Merlin, waving Arthur off.

“No, you don’t understand Merlin. You could have died. Are you insane? We’ve known each other less than a month and yet you would still risk your life for me? What about your kids? Or your mother and Gaius? Just. I’m just not worth it,” said Arthur desperately.

Merlin stared at Arthur for intense moment before grabbing his forehead and leaning it down to his own.

“Look. I wasn’t trying to get myself killed for you. I was trying to save you. Big difference. And don’t you ever think your life isn’t worth it. I may not have known you very long, but I sure as hell plan to,” said Merlin.

At that, Arthur couldn’t help but kiss Merlin. It was a desperate kind of kiss filled with tenderness and tears, but it was something the both of them needed.

“It’s all finally over now,” whispered Merlin, pulling back from the kiss.

“Fucking finally,” whispered Arthur while being pulled down on to the bed—which was rather big and comfortable thanks to Uther.

Arthur started to have doubts of whether the case was truly over—too much shit happened to rule it out, right?—before being nudged in the ribs by Merlin.

“Stop thinking. You’ll just hurt yourself,” teased Merlin.

“But what if—”

“No. It really is over. I have a good feeling about it,” said Merlin, yawning.

“How can you still be tired?” asked Arthur.

“I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. Besides, the bed just got more comfortable,” said Merlin, snuggling into Arthur.

“Idiot,” muttered Arthur, kissing the top of Merlin’s head.

“Arthur, no matter what, we’ll figure this out together, okay? Just, sleep. Let’s sleep to conquer a new day,” said Merlin.

“Fine. But if you sleep for another two days, I’m going to leave you here to fend for yourself, you lazy sod,” said Arthur, trying to tease.

“Whatever, no you won’t,” muttered Merlin before starting to gently snooze.

“You’re right, I won’t,” whispered Arthur, hugging Merlin closer to him and falling asleep.

 

 **EPILOGUE** :

Nimueh L’Afanc was transferred to the maximum penitentiary in the Perilous Lands under solitary confinement, where there would be no chance of escape. Agravaine Du Bois and Jonas Whitley were transferred to the penitentiary in the Isle of Mora, for their involvement in the death of Helen Mary Collins. Any information the Round Table had gathered on The Witchfinder was quietly passed on to Interpol.

With the case truly over with, Leon had been promoted to Detective Chief Inspector, for his outstanding dedication and hard work. Simon Godwyn and Charles Bayard were officially named the new CEOs of Avalon Tech Inc. The paperwork was signed and completed—with Uther’s approval, of course—and construction on Arthur’s new company, Excalibur Inc., was well underway.                                                                                          

As for Merlin, it took a couple months to get out of his wheelchair and onto a pair of crutches, but he found that he couldn’t complain. 

When Arthur told him that the wound could have been fatal, Merlin didn’t regret his actions, but it made him even more grateful for the fact that he was still alive. Physical therapy was—and still is—a pain in the arse for Merlin, but he didn’t complain. Okay, maybe he did, but only to Arthur and Morgana, and maybe Gwen and Lance, and alright so he complained, but he never missed a day of it and that’s what really counted.

After a couple of weeks, Morgana and Mordred moved back into their own home, and after a month had passed, Freya moved back home as well. After Merlin got out of his wheelchair, Hunith finally moved back home, but not before Arthur basically moved in himself. Merlin was only too glad that the kids were on Summer Hols so that he wouldn’t need too much assistance with them.

It was a beautiful afternoon and Merlin was having a barbeque in his back garden. Uther, Gaius, and Hunith were chatting inside the house, waiting for the food to be done. Morgause was on the grill being pestered by Owain until he was whisked away by Kay to join his and the other lads’ sword play—Arthur bought them all foam foils that day. Forr was in the mud with Lizzy and Sefa, helping them build castles.

“I’m helping them with science!” Forridel defended anytime someone passed by.

“No one believes you, Forr, so I say you just keep on happily building castles with the tinies,” laughed Ellie, passing by with a ice bucket of beers.

“Let me take that for you,” said Gwaine, smoothly rescuing the bucket before Ellie could trip.

“Sometimes, I don’t know if you’re being gentlemanly or just trying to rescue the booze,” Ellie teased.

“And why can’t they go hand in hand?” asked Gwaine, moving his free hand to wrap around Ellie’s waist.

“Because your name is Gwaine,” teased Lance, coming out of the house with the non-alcoholic beverages.

“Gwen, control your husband,” said Gwaine with a pout.

“No, I shan’t,” sing-songed Gwen, setting the table.

“Come on then, let’s join the cool kids in the gazebo,” said Ellie, maneuvering Gwaine and herself to the other end of the garden.

There, Morgana was lounging with Leon while Arthur was lying on his back, arm covering his eyes. 

“The princess sleeping then?” asked Gwaine, setting the bucket down on the center of the table before sitting down.

“Nah, he’s just tired from having taken care of the kids all week,” said Morgana, grabbing two beers from the bucket.

“The princess? Taking care of actual human beings besides himself?” asked Gwaine, in mock shock.

“It’s unbelievable I know,” teased Merlin, walking up to the gazebo entrance and leaning against the entryway.

“Your pits chafing from the crutches yet?” asked a sympathetic Leon. It was incredibly fortuitous that his wound wasn’t fatal as well. His arm was still in a light cast, but it was healing nicely.

“Nah, I have Arthur lotion them for me every night,” said Merlin with a wicked smile.

“Yeah, I did not need to know that, Merlin,” shuddered Morgana.

“He’s lying anyway,” said Arthur, sitting up with a pink face.

“Your face says otherwise, Arthur,” teased Ellie with a broad smile.

“All that aside, how is he with taking care of the kids, really?” asked Gwaine, genuinely curious.

Merlin stared at Arthur with his brows thoughtfully furrowed.

“Well, Merlin? Please, don’t hold back on my account,” said Arthur with a sense of confidence he didn’t have at the start.

“Not bad,” said Merlin with a nod.

Before Arthur could preen, Merlin added, “for an amateur.”

“Ama- an amateur?!” Arthur spluttered.

Merlin had a wicked grin on his face and swiftly gathered his crutches.

“I’ll show you amateur!” said Arthur, getting up to chase after a cackling, hobbling Merlin to the laughter of everyone around.

 

The End.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enough cheese at the end of that epilogue for you? I hope you enjoyed Not Bad For An Amateur. If you stuck all the way through it, you're amazing. As I've said before, I may or may not add little things to this verse like short ficlets or pictures, who knows. 
> 
> I already have ideas for other merlin fanfic so I hope you enjoy those when I do have them ready. Cheers!
> 
> x

**Author's Note:**

> The updates will vary, but I'll try my very best to update at least once a week! 
> 
> I've also created a tumblr just for this writing shenanigans of mine:  
> ohnonnynonny.tumblr.com


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